


Owing Duets

by Zavier001



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Might be some smut, Music, Not sure what I'm gonna go with this, not sure yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-12-19 19:51:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 80,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11905023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zavier001/pseuds/Zavier001
Summary: Just as you thought nothing could be smoother from your transition from America to Japan- the first day of work, you accidentally missed the last train. In the commotion, you manage to pull out a briefcase full of documents that don't belong to you. On top of that- you music sheets got mixed in... Then of course, you manage to make your own boss late. Not many people can accomplish making the CEO of Kaiba Corp get kicked off a train, and make him late to a meeting.It just seems like your string of bad luck will never end.





	1. Chapter 1: Running Late

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a Reader fanfic- and transitioning from Fanficiton... Not quite sure how this will turn out. Nor sure when I will update this next. Thanks for reading.
> 
> -Zavier Dedallious

It wasn’t like you were looking for recognition, originally all you wanted it to be was an easy-to-do job… Or so you told yourself as sitting on the train to Domino City was now swarmed with all sorts of people. Yes, it was Japan. Yes, it was a very over populated area… But you certainly weren’t prepared to hold your tiny suitcase tightly to your chest as you were crammed into a corner of the train car. Where had all these people come from?! Surprisingly, someone was trying to shove their way through the already packed herd of people- only to have tall men in suits cut through the crowd. You weren’t quite happy about this predicament- all you wanted to do was get to your job… But this crowd of what seemed to be security guards stood, of course, selectively next to you- further cramming you into your now somewhat enjoyable corner. At least the sweaty man with the bad body odder was gone.

Suddenly, a girl squealed a couple people down. Sprouting something in Japanese, you pulled out two small white devices that resembled something from a sci-fi movie, one was an earbud that fit in your ear perfectly- the other was a microphone. Thank goodness for translators.

‘Is that who I think it is?!’ The earbud translated into English, your native tongue. While you had insisted on learning Japanese at one point, since you had moved to Japan, time just became consumed from your job. But at more girls squealing at some unknown figure- the more your earbud began to ring in your ear- causing you to turn the volume down just a little.

‘It’s Seto Kaiba! Oh my God!’ Seto Kaiba? Who was that? Though the ring of security around the now prominent figure in the middle tightened extremely- pushing the crowd of now shoving girls away from them… Squeezing you even further into your corner.  
Though the squeeze didn’t last long, as the doors of the train car opened- draining the car of the herds of squished people. Somehow though, you had gotten dragged out into the waiting area for the train- landing harshly on your butt.

“Ow…” You squeaked, moaning as you stood and watched a paper flutter by in the wind…

“Oh no!” Gasping, you quickly grabbed the floating sheet- snatching it and realized it was one of the music sheets for the new game soundtrack you were specifically going to your new job for. Looking around frantically, you saw that the suitcase had been flung open- papers flying everywhere. Running around as fast as your legs would let you, each sheet was manageable and able to be caught. Sighing, you looked through each sheet- carefully examining each hand-written note, time signatures, and personal notes you had scribbled, to make sure that the orchestra would understand what it needed to flourish for sometimes. None of them seemed harmed in the sudden… Why was there a document for the new game in an official record in this? Noticing that some more weird documents regarding sales, location, and so much more- you figured you wouldn’t scan them. Turning around to get your suit case, you harshly bumped into someone- bouncing backwards.

“Sorr-“ Immediately you were cut off as large hands grabbed the pile of papers in your hands. But, determined, you didn’t want to let go of your work. This was important!

“Hey let go!” You demanded, and then proceeded to kick whomever it was trying to steal your papers in the knee. With a small grunt, the man took a couple steps back.

“Give me those documents. Now.” His low voice demanded, and finally- you managed to get a good look at him in the dimly lit station.  
With dark brown hair, and bangs that nearly covered his eyes- this man towered over you intimidatingly. His piercing blue eyes bore into you with a look that meant business, but what threw you off was the fact that he was wearing a trench coat that was pure white- and it matched the attire of his suit underneath, save for the light blue tie that you could’ve swore would’ve choked the man sporting it. 

“Absolutely not! This is my life’s work!” You spat, as the man walked forward- now supremely towering over you. Curse your short height! 

“Those are official documents pertaining to my company. If you don’t hand them over- I will force you to. Legally.” The man spat back at you, both of you holding a glare at each other. Neither one wanted to give into the other.

Someone lectured him from behind in fluent Japanese, as you glanced to see one of the security guards that had been on the train… Wait a minute… Shooting up to look at the face so close to yours once more- you realized then… It was your boss. He turned to speak to the man in Japanese, easily switching between English and obviously, his native tongue… How had he known you spoke English?

‘I can’t leave until she gives me back the suitcase that got shoved out of the train during that skirmish. On top of all the documents that flew out.’ Your earbud translated for you- wait… What suitcase? Scanning the ground, indeed a silver suit case lay next to yours- the papers had mixed when the train flew past, causing your music to get mixed in with documents you probably shouldn’t read. Quickly, you went through all your music to find the typed-out papers and sorted through them into two piles. Since you had been so anal all your life about music sheets being in order- you took it upon yourself to organize each document by paper, type, and standing instruction. Putting it all in the suitcase and shutting in promptly, you then held it out for the man to take- interrupting the conversation he was having.

“Here.” You spoke into your little white device, as it translated it into Japanese for you- grabbing his attention. Scowling even further at this, he took the case roughly out of your hands- opened it and thoroughly inspected the contents. Muttering something, your earbud translated it for you.

‘Let me see your papers.’ Speaking into the microphone once again- you asked;

“Why should I? They’re all in there.” As he listened to the translation, the man raised an eyebrow at you.

“I can perfectly understand you. I wouldn’t be the CEO of Kaiba Corporation if I couldn’t speak the most common language on this planet.” He hissed, causing you to jump.

“Well sorry for trying to help, Mr. Grump. Ever heard of being courteous?” You snapped back in irritation. At this point, you didn’t even care that you were late for your job- this asshole in front of you thought he could just get away with treating you like an idiot. Being the prideful American that you were, that wasn’t just going to sit right with you.

“I’m courteous to those who have earned it. In my eyes- you just stole my case off the train.” He growled back, security behind him sighing in disappointment. Surly this “CEO” was now late for the important meeting.

“Tell me this then, all important ‘CEO’. Why would a rich asshole like you be taking a train in the first place?!” You demanded, holding on tightly to your music sheets. He took a sharp intake- telling you that his temper was starting to get the best of him.

“It was a faster mode of transportation to where I needed to go, logically.” The man spat. The two of you stood there in silence, staring at each other with looks that would literally kill. Suddenly, his phone began to ring- and so did yours. Picking it up simultaneously, both of you snapped into the poor receiver.

“Hello!?”

Some Japanese came out the other end of your phone, and immediately your earbud began to work its magic.

‘Hey… I know that it’s your first day and all… But where are you? You’re the lead musician for the new game coming out- and we’re trying to discuss the details… From what it sounds like, his secretary is saying something about Seto Kaiba is being held up at a train station. You’re lucky that for some blue moon- he’s late.’ Blinking, you turned to look back at the man you had been arguing with- and held up your microphone.

“By any chance… Is he super tall, in a white outfit, and super grumpy all the time?” As the microphone repeated what you told it, all you met was silence from the other end.

‘…Where are you?’ Finally, your co-worker asked and you partially laughed nervously about your current situation.

“Um… You see… I’m at a train station… With the CEO of Kaiba Corp.” You winced as your co-worker launched into a loud lecture- undoubtedly capturing the entire attention of the people in that meeting room. Well… that cat was out of the bag now. So this ‘Seto’ wasn’t lying to you after all… You just pissed off your boss, and congratulated yourself inside your head for your stupidity now. Seto looked back at you, a smirk playing on his features at your realization as he could obviously hear your co-worker yelling at you on the other end- probably hearing the same thing from his secretary’s line. Giving him the best glare you could manage at the time- you sighed; repeatedly saying ‘Sorry’ into your translator.

Eventually hanging up after the co-worker stopped yelling, you glanced to Kaiba with distain.  
“…Alright, Mr. Grump. You win this round.” You finally admitted, earning a mutual expression from him. He crossed his arms, the silver suitcase at his feet- though as you noticed… He wasn’t going anywhere.

“I always win. Now that you’ve made us miss the last train- how will my newest gaming musician get to work?” He asked, obviously doing this just to get you to work on time so his game wouldn’t fall behind on production. Sighing, you typed a couple things into your smart phone- one of them being directions to the Kaiba Corp. Main Building… Walking would take an hour. The next train would be tomorrow at 8 AM, and you certainly didn’t have a bike.  
“Probably going to walk.” You murmured, and Kaiba gave a small ‘tch’ of disappointment at your predicament.

“I am not about to go ask you for help!” Snapping at him, you put all your papers back into your tiny suitcase and began to walk past him- hearing a small sigh escape his lips.

“Come on. You can ride in the limo that just pulled up.” He offered, picking up his suit case as the bodyguards followed his every step. Kaiba didn’t even bother to wait for you, and you were shocked for just a moment… But in all honesty, you would’ve preferred to get to work on time- or as on time as you could be at this point.  
So there you sat, in the luxury limo- across from your boss. He immediately produced a laptop from… Somewhere. Seeing as how his suitcase was just papers, you scowled at this ‘magic’ that managed to create a high tech small computer out of nowhere. The only technology you were good around was a sound board and a launch pad. Save for the few programs that you used to modulate your music, or simulate an orchestra when you didn’t have one on hand. Then of courses, came the microphones- set with a puff guard, the quality of the microphone, and just how you set up a recording studio in general… Considering you preferred a completely padded room. Most people would’ve taken you for a nut- hence why you… Got fired from your last job. How did your train of thought reduce from a computer back to your work?

Kaiba wasn’t a man for small talk, you noticed. Instead, you settled for the rhythmic beating of his slender fingers upon the keyboard- impressed with how fast his typing was. It was soothing almost, if you weren’t used to white noise already. Eventually you found yourself creating a rhythm with your fingers tapping on your case that strangely correlated with the way he personally typed. Tap on 1, 4 in one measure. Then 2, 4 on the next. Stops for three measures. Resume. You hadn’t even realized his typing had stopped, and when you were ready to break the beat with a small finger solo- you glanced over to see he was staring at you with a natural expression. But you noticed his eyes glinted with the slightest hint of bewilderment.

“What? Never seen a finger drum solo?” You asked, a little snarkier then you planned. He scoffed at you, shaking his head.

“Now I see why you got hired by the music team. You were probably doing something musical during the entire interview.” Kaiba grumbled, and you realized that he hadn’t resumed typing. Anytime he did- it was almost as if he was aware of either how fast, how loud, or anything in general… Had you made him subconscious about that steady beat?

“I’m surprised you haven’t seen it yet. Besides the people who did the questioning- I figured you watched every interview to make sure that no sleazy person sneaks into your… Steel fortress.” You laughed slightly at this, as Kaiba was about to reply before his phone rang. Easily, he switched back to his native tongue as a voice spoke in your ear.

‘Yes, I understand that you need a bigger budget. No, I’m not willing to move that price. You’ve done better work for less, before I hired your lazy ass. I can easily stick you back in that position.’ Well damn, you were feeling slightly bad for the person who had dared called him and asked for more money. While at this point, he was probably used to it. His voice was raising, as his speech was becoming more rapid, and your earbud ringed loudly in your ear- unable to keep up with his lecture. You had to rip it out- you didn’t need any more hearing loss then you already had. Earning a skeptical look from a frustrated Kaiba, he returned to the phone call and ended it promptly.  
He was still talking to you in Japanese, and unable to understand him- you gestured to your earbud and he easily snatched it out of your hand.

“Hey!” You snapped, trying to reach across the limo to get it back- only to had Kaiba shove you back into your seat while he examined the small piece of technology. He was still grumbling in Japanese, falling back into habit with ease. You could barely speak a coherent sentence in English, and would most likely have a hard time learning any second language. Suddenly, he pulled apart the earbud- causing you to freak out.

“No! Now you’ve done it!” You gasped, ready to toss your suitcase at him as Kaiba held up a hand to you.

“Relax, I’m fixing it for you.” Fixing it? That ear piece was perfectly fine! Not to mention his English was laced heavily with an accent, meaning that he was much more focused on the task at hand rather than proper speech. Which is something that you appreciated in the midst of your panic. He turned a couple wires, and pulled out a small glasses screw driver from one of his pockets within the trench coat he wore. A couple pokes here, a couple pokes there, and then he put the small equipment back into the pocket and put the earbud back together. He held it out for you, as you took it gingerly back- placing it back in its rightful spot in your ear. Suddenly he launched into a long lecture in Japanese.  
‘There was a wire that was misplaced due to manufacturing design. All I did was fix the speech compacity so that you might be able to understand someone talking to you faster. I guarantee that I can easily fire someone before they can get a word out- but now at least you can understand when I do.’ Surprisingly, the earbud gave more fluent translations- and easily kept up with Kaiba’s fast lecture. He smirked at you, and the limo stopped- the door opening for you and Kaiba.

“Why did you fix my translator? You didn’t have to do that.” You asked, slightly at a loss for word as the crowd outside the limo drowned out your normal capability for thoughts.

Immediately you were mentally brought back to your cozy little train car corner, and how small you were in this large city.

“I don’t like owing people favors. Consider it a repayment for making sure none of these documents got into the wrong hands.” Kaiba simply stated as he exited the limo, gaining the attention of at least a dozen cameras and people screaming in awe at him. You had no idea how you were going to exit the limo this way. Suddenly the door slammed before you could get out.

“Hey! I was just about to get out!” You spoke into your mic, as the driver sat back in the seat. The driver looked back to you with distaste.

‘Don’t worry miss. Mr. Kaiba requested you be dropped off in the parking garage so that you don’t show up in a photo near him. That type of publicity is something Mr. Kaiba has no time for.’ He explained shortly, and you sighed. That’s more you owed to the CEO, and as your bill was racking up, you couldn’t think of anything to pay him back for. So you watched begrudgingly as the world flew by and eventually ended up in the employee garage, thankfully right in front of the public elevator.

‘Have a good day miss. Thank you for keeping the boss company.’ Strangely, the driver was slightly appreciative that he had someone else to drive around other than the grumpy man. You bowed politely to him, and watched him drive away as you clutched your suitcase to your chest. Turning around, you pulled out your work ID and held it up to the black electronic pad. Eventually it beeped as you could hear the familiar hum of the elevator coming down to greet you.

It took a while to get to the floor that you were going to work on, and by the time you did- the meeting was over. Sighing at your missed opportunity to showcase the music to work on, immediately you had to shove your way against the crowd that went the opposite direction you were trying to go. Finally, when you made it to the door of a sound proof room- you noticed there was a sticky note posted to the door. It wasn’t in any kanji symbols, and surprisingly the English was well put. But then of course, who signed the sticky note was none other than the man you had ridden with this morning.

‘Your studio is on the fourteenth floor. Consider it a small upgrade- I expect good music out of you after seeing your annoying drumming this morning. -Seto Kaiba’

You frowned at this, the small sound proofed room was more then you actually needed already- but it seemed like someone was already inside. How did Kaiba even know what your music sounded like? Suddenly, your co-worker tackled you from behind- slinging an arm around you.

‘Girl, I don’t know what you did- but gaining that studio is a privilege only Music Leaders get.’ Your earbud easily kept up with the yelling too. Damn, this whole ‘owing him favors’ went a long way, and you had no idea how you were going to repay it. 

“You have no idea the pain I went through this morning…” You grumbled into your microphone, and let it replay for him. He sighed, and grabbed you by the wrist- sprouting nonsense and about how lucky you were for this. Easily tossing you back into the elevator, you were forced to go up even further.

Finally, finally you got to the studio on the fourteenth floor. You gained a lot of looks of distain, disgust, and almost resentment when you entered the office space. They weren’t happy about the fact that someone making the CEO late to a meeting had gained you one of the best studios in the building. Creeping away from all the looks that made you feel socially uncomfortable, you managed to open the room. Finally looking into the studio, you felt your entire body just stop as your suitcase fell out of your hands and onto the floor with a small thud. Oh… You were going to owe a lot to your boss, and at this point- you figured just giving him your life wouldn’t even suffice at this point.

The entire studio was professionally set up to hold at least six people in the recording room, and the sound board had more details and dials then your last studio. The glass pane that connected to see the room behind had been modified so that you could see your personal programs already put into the system in a low blue hue on the large computer screen. Even the microphones in the studio were a dual type that could be used to record an instrument, or a voice… There was already a book on the chair, most likely a manual of some sort- and a number. Waddling over it, you noticed a small business card on the book- and picked it up. It was the contact number for the Kaiba Orchestra conductor, and the location of where they perform. Moving the book, you just sunk in the chair, sighing in content at the temporarily silent studio. Closing your eyes, you could only imagine the type of soundtracks you could create with this type of equipment. Hearing it play inside your head- the constant drumming, the violas flourishing, the trombones shaking the ribcage to the core with their low-threating music that created the atmosphere of seriousness… It caused you a slight euphoria, before opening the book in front of you. Then the euphoria went away.

The book itself was a rundown of the new game that needed a soundtrack, and lucky you- it was you had to make the entirety of the music because Kaiba was never pleased with the melodies that other musicians had put forth so far. It wasn’t even just the soundtrack either, the noise effects needed to be coded in- the music needed to repeat smoothly if a player were to say… Stay in a field for longer than a few minutes. You had no idea how you were going to finish before the deadline that was in three weeks… But it’s why you loved your job so much, and you had been preparing for this game for months. Smiling, you got up and opened your suitcase- dialing the conductor’s number.

“Violin 1, can you repeat measures 108 through 190 please?” You asked, probably for the eleventh time that day. There was something missing in this glorious feeling right before entering a different section for the main world hub and you just couldn’t place what it was… Till you heard that Violin 1 was playing a D sharp rather than an E minor. The entire time.

“Oi! Don’t you know how to read the chord? You’ve been playing a note lower than the music requires!” You snapped, irritated at this. She looked irritated at you again, and you sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of your nose. You stood next to the conductor with your own copy of the main hub music in your hand. Something that had been brought to your attention, was how you noticed that most of the musicians in this orchestra could’ve cared less about how the music was played. They were just there for mainly the money, and the job- putting you at a disadvantage for your deadline. It was no use to play with an orchestra that didn’t care for the music they created in the lovely soundwaves you could listen to all day. Suddenly a buzzer rang throughout the rehearsal hall, signaling that the work day was over. Quickly, everyone shuffled to get away from you, leaving you alone with your music in the now quiet building. Sighing, you began to walk around- picking up the music sheets that everyone had purposefully left behind. You missed your old orchestra you would work with in America… At least they cared about your music.

Suddenly, you heard familiar typing echo in the silence. Tap 1, 4. Tap 2, 4. Rest 3. You glanced behind you to see none other than Kaiba sitting in one of the judging seats, surrounded by paperwork and surprisingly, a couple cups of coffee. Some were empty, but one was still partially full. Meaning he had been here for long enough for him to hear you basically running his orchestra into a mill… Great.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Like… I dunno… Meetings?!” You snapped loudly, putting all the music into a folder and holding close to your chest. Kaiba didn’t even look up at you, finishing whatever he was so intent on doing. But you saw his eyes glanced up at you, meaning that he heard what you had to say.

“That’s no way to treat the boss who just gave you all the tools you needed.” He then answered in a monotone, focused more on his work then you. You sputtered at his uncaring comment.

“I-I didn’t ask for that! You’re just holding favors above my head!” Then it happened. He looked up at you, with a devilish look that could only mean bad things to come. The way his smile creeped into your bones, knowingly calculating all of this. How the light of his laptop illuminated the hidden malice in his facial shadows. Oh you regretted saying that immediately.

“So. You’re not as stupid as you look.” He only longingly stated, obviously enjoying your discomfort about your situation.

“What do you want?” You demanded, only earning an amused scoff from him as Kaiba returned to his laptop that once again had appeared out of nowhere.

“I need a fiancé.”


	2. Dinner for Two

Immediately the folder of sheet music fell out of your hands, and it scattered about the stage. The only sounds filling the air being that of them falling, and Kaiba’s rhythmic typing. Silence hung in the air. Tap 1, 4. Tap 2, 4. Rest 3. Rustle a paper. Your voice was stuck in your throat, as your mouth flapped open and shut like the goldfish you kept at your tiny apartment.

“I will take that silence as confirmation that you understand the agreement.” He suddenly commanded, and it was as if something in you snapped. Everything began to work again, and boy- Kaiba didn’t know the flurry of emotions he had just let go inside of you.

“Absolutely not! I do not understand _any_ sort of agreement! I didn’t ask for anything of the promotions or studio that you so willingly gave! Nor will I accept your offer, and now that I understand the meaning behind it- I might as well fucking quit!” Even your American slang came out, mixing thickly with your southern accent. Kaiba looked at you with slight amusement, but again- that glint of confusion was back. Now, anyone in your position would’ve immediately jumped on that train- but here you stood, in his way. Defiantly, he might even add.

“What will you do then?” He simply asked, waiting for your reply. But you gave none, as you quickly began to pick up the scattered papers off the floor of the stage. It filled the orchestra house loudly, as everything was shoved back into the dropped folder. At this point, you didn’t even care about the fact that the music was out of order.

He called your name.

You snapped up with a look that meant death- as only a handful of people could pull off something he had seen at the train station.

“Will you calm down, at least enough to let me explain why I asked you?” Kaiba so ‘politely’ offered as much as his monotone voice would allow. You paused for just a moment, raising an eyebrow in skepticism at him. He took it as a mild acceptance, and that you might’ve been rational enough to listen.

“I am not looking for you to actually marry me. I am just looking for a potential suitor to get the press to leave me alone.” That sentence alone you could tell had more meaning to it than just… ‘press’.

“It is only for mutual benefit. I will not sleep with you, nor will I force you to love me. The only thing that is required is that you attend business dinners with me, or conventions that require public attention.” Kaiba added, as if he had planned this months before. You knew personally that he had always been one to plan decades ahead, and at first- you felt very lucky to pick up the job you had. But if you had known that this was in store for you… You probably would’ve politely declined the job.

“If that were the case, why didn’t you call one of the many models that someone of your stature could easily pick?” You snapped, starting to walk off the stage and flipped the switch that turned on the overhead lights. Dousing the theater in darkness, except for the illuminating glow of the laptop light- which caused him to momentarily stop.

“Because none of them tend to make something, out of nothing.” He simply replied- and that comment carried weight to you. Kaiba picked up his papers and shuffled them into his briefcase, along with the laptop. He met you by the door you were just about to exit in a hurry, hoping not to catch him on the way out. Welp, at this point you two were now going to walk back to the Kaiba Corp. Building together- no matter what antics you tried.

“What does that mean for me then?” You barely got the question out, before Kaiba sighed.

“You have fifteen minutes to get ready, and I will meet you in front of the building. We have a dinner to attend.” Kaiba glanced at his watch, causing you to gape at him.

“W-wait!! Fifteen minutes?! Get ready for-for what?!” Stuttering over your words, suddenly one of the body guards you hadn’t noticed before held out a uniform bag, and a sling over. There was an outfit picked out for you apparently already in the transparent hook. It looked like something you would wear, but also something Kaiba would approve of.

“Now it’s ten, and since you agreed- I will see you for dinner then.” Kaiba looked at you over his shoulder with a confident smirk. Causing your breath to hitch in panic, and realized you had just backed yourself into the corner he purposefully put you in.

 

Walking out of the building a few minutes later, you weren’t quite sure how you got yourself in this mess. Though the outfit was much more comfortable then you thought it would be- but what you thought about the most was-

“How did you even know my body type? Or my size?” You asked, smoothing down the skirt portion of the dress. It was a simple white short dress; the skirt was loose and flowed easily down to your knees. While the shoulder straps were thick enough to hide the bra you had chosen that day, it was actually quite enjoyable. The last forth of the dress was a fade that from white into a light blue at the ends to match the low blue heels that- once again- fit you more comfortably then any sort of heel you had worn before.

It reminded you a lot of the tailored suit that Kaiba wore. He had even planned on a pair of blue earrings, and a purse to put your wallet in. Though it didn’t help that your hair was simply a wavy mess that pooled around your shoulders, and the makeup you had worn for work that day.

But as Kaiba had promised, there he was waiting in front of the same limo you had driven in that day. He still had that confident smirk on his face.

“I require all my employees to go through a physical so that we might accommodate for any medical issues.” He mentioned, as you remembered that you did have to turn in a physical for your applications. Though you knew the actual reason why. He opened the door for you.

“In other words- you have no reason for your staff to sue you for ‘work accidents’.” Kaiba nodded, confirming your suspicions about it as you climbed into the car- sitting next to one of the windows. He sat across from you, not even letting the door shut as he already pulled out his laptop from the briefcase once more. The driver came around, and made sure the limo was ready to go before beginning to drive. While the silence of the car and the lack of conversation was more than enough for you- your fingers betrayed your emotions as they once again began to tap along to your rhythm you had created to Kaiba’s typing on accident.

“Stop it.” He suddenly commanded, causing you to jump and spill the contents of your folder in your lap across the seat. You scrambled to pick it up, and this time you took the time to look through the contents to make sure that everything was aligned properly.

“Sorry, it’s a habit.” You found yourself apologizing nonchalantly, not really understanding why you were saying sorry in the first place. Though you did notice that he had stopped typing, and looking past the current Trombone 4 sheet you were glancing over- you found that he was staring at you…

“What?” You asked.

“You’re surprisingly calm, for how you were when I told you about dinner- and being my fiancé.” He mentioned, which also struck you as odd as well. Why were you so calm? Was it because you were so used to your music never being played you wanted to be? Or your adaptability towards any situation that might arise? To be honest, in this type of situation- even you weren’t sure.

“Trust me- internally I’m screaming.” You commented quickly, setting the sheet off to the side. Now everything was messed up, and you were going to need that recording space in the studio to fix them all. So much for rehearsal tomorrow…

“Internally fangirling screaming?” His monotone voice made the joke fall flat, and you sighed at his remark. Though you could tell Kaiba meant it as a joke, no other person would be able to catch the trace amounts of sass you heard in it.

“More or so agonizing, tortured screams of a woman who was damned into a nonexistent relationship with a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.” You grumbled, and managed to put everything back in the folder. Kaiba actually gave a small scoff at your remark.

“True, and accurate. At least your mouth is smarter then you look.” He lightly insulted, causing you to huff at him and look outside the window.

“One more thing before we go to meet my client- call me Seto.” Kaiba commanded and you choked on air. That wasn’t something you were expecting to hear.

“W-why?!” You spat, and the car stopped in front of what seemed to be a popular restaurant in the city. You could tell due to the impressive amounts of security, and paparazzi around those body guards. Then the door opened…

 

You froze.

 

Kaiba was the first to step out, and turned to shield the cameras from you as he extended his hand you. It was a lot of noise- the yelling, the shutters of the cameras, and even the screaming. It was too much going on… Too much chaos. There wasn’t anything you could make a rhythm out of, as everything was too sporadic.

“Take my hand.” Then the voice that you found familiar brought you back from the corners of your mind. It grounded you just enough to have your hand grab his and Kaiba pulled you gently from the car. He had a different, more open look on his face- as you could barely think of it as a ‘public face’. But Kaiba was good at what he did, as he guided your hand to hold his arm as you two walked inside the restaurant.

Thank goodness that immediately you were met with the quiet elevator 80’s music playing in the dining area. Of course, you could hear the crowd outside- but it wasn’t so loud and chaotic to drown out your own internal metronome.

But then the hostess began to speak in Japanese, and you realized you didn’t have your translator in your ear. Opening up your purse to search for it, you realized that it somehow must’ve gotten mixed with your clothes in the car… You were contemplating going back to the limo, and you glanced behind you to realize that the limo was gone.

“Please follow me, my musician.” Kaiba’s voice brought you back to reality, and you looked up to him in mild panic. Though the whole ‘my musician’ thing threw you for a bit- and felt the distance behind the term. It meant nothing, and will forever remain nothing. However, in your panic you did appreciate Kaiba translating in his own way in English for you.

He easily took control of the situation, deflecting your confusion and stammering with his demeanor- his mere presence drowning out your own. Kaiba guided you to the table, where an older gentleman was already waiting- presumably with his girlfriend. He bowed lightly, once again that public face showing a sincerity towards his business.

“Mr. Timwaka. Pleasure to meet you.” Kaiba spoke in English, as if to cue you into whom it was they were having dinner with tonight. If you could recall, Timwaka was one of the shareholders into another company that just developed a stronger hologram system then the one Kaiba Corp. had created. Mr. Timwaka smiled joyfully at him, and bowed back in respect.

Though, it threw you for a loop when the business men launched into rapid Japanese. Even the girlfriend was nodding in approval at whatever they were talking about. So you settled for taking your seat as they did and looking outside the building- drowning them out in white noise since you couldn’t understand them anyways.

However, you couldn’t stop your index finger tapping a steady beat on your folded hands. The 80’s music had changed to some form of J-Pop and your internal metronome couldn’t help but beat along. Curse being a composer… It reminded of the sticky note Kaiba had left you about how annoying your finger drumming was. So then you stopped.

Kaiba then naturally reached over and intertwined your hand in his, continuing the conversation. It caused you to jump in response as he looked back at you with a slightly concerned look.

“Are you ready to order?” He surprisingly asked in a gentle tone, compared to his normally gruff and short speech. You hadn’t even realized a menu had been put in front of you, and with your free hand you opened the first page… Of course everything was in Japanese kanji symbols.

“I recommend this one. It’s a simple pasta simmered in a pesto sauce with some scallops and mussels.” He easily translated one of the menu items for you, and somehow picked the one that you weren’t allergic to, or wouldn’t particularly enjoy. Thank goodness for your love for shell fish. You nodded politely at him, giving him a heart-warming smile to his public face.

Kaiba ordered for you, and some sort of drink to the waitress as the girlfriend was now staring at you with some sort of distain. Perhaps disappointment. There wasn’t much you could do, since you hadn’t taken the time to learn the second language before coming here- and you certainly wishing you had right now.

The waitress then came back with four wine glasses. One a rose white, a chardonnay, and two red. She set the two red wines in front of you and Kaiba while the rose white went to Mr. Timwaka’s girlfriend, and the chardonnay went to the businessmen. You managed to get out a polite ‘Arigato’, and it caused Kaiba to give a small snicker at your attempt to be formal. Hey- listening to American songs sometimes paid off.

 

You weren’t quite the biggest fan of wine, but it gave you something for your hand to fiddle with. You settled for the chance to tap your finger along to the drawl of the conversation. The girlfriend would interject once and a while, rambling about something you couldn’t understand. But due to it, your rhythm was thrown off and you had to wait till Kaiba started talking again to reclaim the steady beat of the conversation. Once and a while the hand that Kaiba held onto for the while would twitch once and a while.

You watched Mr. Timwaka after a while of simply listening to the conversation and mindless back ground noise for you to take a glance at his body language. You had learned to read it very well, due to sometimes singers would push themselves past their breaking point- and you didn’t need a repeat of Cindy… That was a mess of a breakdown.

He was tense. You could tell, as he was speaking to Kaiba- that the CEO’s superior confidence was now beginning to wear on the shareholder. Sometimes he would nervously laugh about something Kaiba mentioned-

 

The girlfriend jumped in the conversation annoying once more.

 

You hadn’t realized it caused you to twitch, gripping Kaiba’s hand slightly tighter- as he could feel it too. She acted at the mediator of the conversation. Interrupting when something important was about to be let go, or acting bouncy when Kaiba was closer to closing some sort of deal. It was beginning to annoy you.

“Hey Kaiba?” You asked politely, as he glanced at you curiously- though his eyes betrayed that he already knew what you might ask.

“Call me Seto.” He reminded, but it was still an invitation nonetheless.

“Sorry, S-Seto. But I do think that Mr. Timwaka’s lovely girlfriend is getting a little impatient. I might suggest closing whatever deal it is you’re trying to do quickly, less you want the conversation to drag on all evening.” Speaking in a slow drawl, purposefully gazing calmly at Timwaka’s girlfriend. She glowered at you, barely understanding anything that you were saying. Though at this moment, you were happy for the barrier.

Kaiba understood immediately what you were getting across, and then began to speak to Timwaka once more. The entire conversation changed at that moment, as you watched Timwaka’s aura change from tense to more relaxed. Every time from that moment on the girlfriend tried to interrupt, Timwaka would dismiss it and continue to talk to Kaiba.

 

It pleased you to no end to see the girlfriend’s plan to make the deal fall through stop right there.

 

Food then came, and went. Kaiba had been right on point with his recommendation as you made a point to mentally moan in pleasure inside your head every bite you took. The flavored worked well together, and would’ve probably loved to get the same dish again. But overall the dinner flowed smoothly, and when it was time to leave- the girlfriend had a few choice words for you that you couldn’t understand.

Mr. Timwaka had to shush his girlfriend, and apologize for her behavior. Kaiba politely smiled, but his eyes were dead cold at this. Obviously whatever she had said ticked him off clearly. He escorted you back to the limo, and when you were back in your seat across from him- you watched Kaiba’s public face disappear in an instant.

Back to stoic, emotionless, coldhearted CEO.

“You did horrible.” He immediately insulted you, and it made you tense up quickly.

“Well I’m sorry I don’t understand Japanese. My translator was mixed in with the clothes.” You grumbled, taking the earrings out of your ears and placing them inside a nearby cup holder.

“It wasn’t even that. You weren’t paying attention to half of the conversation, and when you did- you finally pointed out the one thing wrong with a person sitting at the table.” Kaiba snapped, as a laptop was once again produced out of seemingly nowhere.

“I wasn’t exactly ready to sit down with dinner- and…” You trailed off as your thoughts immediately went back to the loud noises and camera shutters.

“Why did you freeze the way you did when the door was opened?” Kaiba asked you bluntly, remnants of the Japanese accent mixing in with his English. That was a certainly good question, and you knew one of the answers as to why.

“Too much noise going on at once. Too chaotic.” You grumbled, watching the night lights of the city fly by in the car. Kaiba scoffed at your excuse, as he actually looked extremely amused by the whole thing.

“You, of all people, are seriously telling me that you froze from paparazzi… Because of the noise? You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, coming from a composer?” Kaiba was lightly laughing at your misery. Sadist, you thought as your glower at him deepened.

“There was no rhythm I could create, it was like an orchestra gone bad. No metronome, no thought process, no conductor… Just chaos.” You murmured, fingering the edges of your folder. He noticed you obsessively held that anytime it was near you, regardless with the fact that it was a limo that had both security cars in the front and the back.

“You don’t need to create a rhythm if I’m there to guide you.” Kaiba also mentioned, but didn’t look up from his computer. You didn’t really know what to say back to him after that, as the rest of the car ride was sat in uncomfortable silence. It put you on edge, even with his consistent typing. You didn’t even know how you got yourself in this mess, or how you even agreed to this. At this point, you just felt like you were drowning in a sea of unforeseen choices that weren’t even yours to make.

 

Eventually the car stopped in front of a familiar apartment building, to be more specific… Yours. At this point, you weren’t even surprised that Kaiba knew where you lived. The door on your side was opened, as the driver offered for you to get out. He helped you get out, and you turned to grab your folder out of the car.

“I’ll return the dress.” You swiftly tried to offer, and Kaiba shook his head at you.

“Keep it. You will probably need it again.” He commanded, and you sighed in distaste. Another dinner was a thought you weren’t particularly looking forward to. The driver handed your clothes back in the uniform holder as you stood there, watching the line of cars drive away- leaving you to turn back to your apartment alone.

Surprisingly to you, it felt lonelier as you opened the door to your apartment alone.

Tossing your purse on a table next to your door, your apartment was a two story place that was squished between others that were just the same. Small living room- AKA. Your workspace- to your left, dining room and kitchen to the left. Bathroom in the corner next to the stairs, and bedroom upstairs. However, anyone that was sane enough to stay out of your apartment would’ve known how much of a mess it was.

You carefully had to walk over a couple instrument cases littering the main hall, as you glanced into your workspace. More instruments littered the couch, the low table as the TV had been turned on to a classic rock station for American music. Had you left it on that channel? You could’ve sworn you left it on Bach earlier before you left for work… But that didn’t save the fact that there were half finished music sheets strewn about on the floor, and next to the instruments that were scattered about.

Most particularly proud of the collection of different violins you had, your hands found a bow that was buried underneath some more finished works on the dining room table. This probably went to the missing soprano violin upstairs… You sighed, kicking off the heels next to the chair and turned around to face the kitchen.

Bumping straight into a man that was about the same hight as you. Blinking, first in shock, you screamed at whoever it was and grabbed hold of that soprano bow. Whacking your assailant on the head- it didn’t really do much except bounce off the mop of fluffy black hair.

“Ow! Hold it! Wait!” He cried at your assault, and held up a familiar ice cream tub to you with two spoons in the same hand as he used the other to block your bow attacks. You paused just a minute to realize it was your preferred ice cream flavor that you kept in the freezer in case you were having a particularly bad day. It finally caused you to look closer at the stranger in your home.

He had a mess of black hair, and bright dark eyes that seemed to just take in everything around him. He had a rather loose black t-shirt on, normal jeans, and surprisingly a familiar Duel Monsters Card locket around his neck. Oh no…

“Are you… Mokuba?” You asked, as he gave you a bright smile in return. Absolutely nothing like his brother. His very aura was different, as you reluctantly put down the bow- which you noticed now had a couple strings snapped and would most likely have to get replaced.

“Hey, you actually know me! Good job.” He laughed, causing you to become even more confused. Why was the younger Kaiba in your apartment…? How did he even get in your apartment?!

“H-how did you get in here?” You managed, taking one of the spoons as you cleared off some counter space- moving some more sheets and ideas off from the dining table and chairs. You offered him a seat, and Mokuba sat across from you- popping the lid off. You thought you’d be full from dinner, but right now that ice cream never looked so good.

“Key under the mat. Classic I ought to say. Judging by the state of your living space- I’d say you’re a fairly classic person too.” Mokuba snickered, as he took a giant spoon full out of the carton. You sighed inwardly, you knew you should’ve gotten that fake rock.

“Sorry about the mess… I’ve been so busy, I hadn’t had time to organize everything.” You grumbled, listening at the classic rock playing in the background. Compared to the 80’s elevator music, this was more than a welcome change.

“Why? Girl~ when you come to my apartment- there’s film and photos scattered everywhere. Besides, it means your passionate about your work- and I highly doubt my brother would’ve hired you if you weren’t.” Mokuba smiled, looking around at the state your place was in. At least the kitchen area managed to stay clear- but it didn’t stop him from noticing a few half-drank coffee mugs set on some of the sheets. He could see the ring on some of them nearby too. Meaning to Mokuba, you were probably up in the late hours of the night working on them. It warmed his heart a little.

“So, you’re now my new potential sister-in-law.” Mokuba cut right to the chase, causing you to choke mildly on the ice cream you had just finally managed to sneak in. He leaned forward, folding his hands and leaning on them. Immediately Mokuba reminded you of his brother, Seto.

“Y-yeah, and I have no idea how it happened.” You grumbled, taking another spoonful of ice cream. This carton wasn’t going to chalk up to the problem at hand this time.

“I don’t expect you to understand this, but Seto’s already gone through three potential fiancés. Those last three damaging a lot of the Kaiba Corp. reputation. All I ask, is don’t be like those other three.” Mokuba explained, though it sounded more like a threat rather than a warning.

“I-I won’t. I thought you didn’t want the company.” You pointed out, hoping to gain some ground as you managed to recompose your nerves a little bit more as Mokuba visibly relaxed- that sunshiny smile back to his face. You were thankful for the music in the back ground that could steady your rapidly beating heart- it wasn’t going to be good to your health being around the Kaiba brothers much longer.

“Never have. I just like gossip, you know? Gotta keep up on the news to find out which models are bitches, and which ones are a little kinder. Helps keep my side of things afloat so I don’t have another meltdown.” Mokuba shrugged, digging back into the ice cream which was now half way gone at this point. You could absolutely see that happen, and you couldn’t count the number of clients you’ve had to work with that were either way too demanding to fulfill their requirements, or just plain bad singers.

“I can totally understand that.” You grumbled, once again your thoughts drifting back to Cindy and that mess. Mokuba laughed, and you actually managed to scoff a couple times as well. But it was probably nothing compared to the clients and business men Kaiba dealt with on a regular basis.

“Thanks for letting me hang in your apartment. It’s pretty cool.” Mokuba pointed out, now leaning back in a small food coma as the ice cream carton had now become empty. You nodded in acceptance to his compliment. Then something struck yourself as odd, reminding of you of something he had said earlier.

“What did you mean by ‘when I get to your apartment’?”

“Oh! I’m having a party to celebrate my new photo collection being released tomorrow, and you’re going!” Mokuba’s eyes beamed, and you knew that look of passion anywhere. You saw that reflected in yourself constantly… How could you say no?

“I assume I have no choice in the matter…” You grumbled, getting up to throw the carton away. Mokuba’s smile beamed at you, causing you to sigh in defeat. It wasn’t even a question, or an invitation anymore. You just personally hoped the music choices at the party was just as good as the channel Mokuba had picked.


	3. Hesitation

Walking into work was a nightmare, and you had no idea why. Fumbling this morning through yesterday’s clothes, you found your translator- and now just kept the earbud permanently in your ear. The microphone was in your jacket pocket, as you prepared just in case. If you couldn’t talk to people, at least you could understand them.

But it didn’t help with the fact that everyone, and you meant everyone, was glowering at you in some shape or form.

Literally, everyone was stopping to stare at you as if some sort of plague had cursed you. Gulping, you barely got through the doors of the main building before what Mokuba had warned you of came to mind. Apparently, three other potential fiancés had nearly ruined their reputation. Suddenly you understood why everyone would be watching you with anticipation of something going horribly wrong.

‘Stop staring and get back to work before I fire you all!’ A loud, commanding voice boomed through the foyer, in Japanese as it took a moment for your earbud to process it. Everyone that had been staring suddenly scrambled. Honestly, it was immensely funny to watch. As evaluators filled up, and people scrambled back to their cubicles and desks- it cleared to reveal the very man you were hoping to avoid today. He strode up to you with heavy steps, and you started to back up.

Eventually you hit the door, and since it was a ‘push’ rather than a ‘pull’- you were stuck there. Kaiba stopped right in front of you, giving a single glance over.

“You’re an hour late.” He scolded you, no mercy in the morning either huh? Mokuba had kept you up late last night, trying to convince you to play an instrument for him. He had threatened to run off with one of them too- sending you into a blind fury at him with the soprano bow again. In other words… The younger Kaiba brother hadn’t let you sleep.

“Sorry… I’ll be on time from now on, Mr. Grump.” You grumbled, stifling a yawn. Kaiba shook his head at you in disappointment, before gesturing for you to follow him. Practically having to run due to the shortness of your legs and his impressively strong long ones. He turned to a private elevator in the back-right corner of the foyer, and pressed his ID to the black small panel next to it. Beeping, the elevator opened and he practically dragged you in.

“How is the soundtrack coming along?” Kaiba asked sharply, and you fumbled for your notes from out of your tiny suitcase. Flipping through numerous amounts of notes, he was tapping his finger on the sleeve of his upper arm in impatience.

“It’s-uh- It’s getting there.” You managed, finding the page where you needed to sort through one of the boss themes to fix a couple chords.

“’Getting there’ isn’t the answer I’m looking for.” Kaiba growled, causing you to flinch. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. You frowned, noticing that his hair actually looked slightly disheveled, and the bags under his eyes were deeper as the rings were somehow darker then yesterday. Had something gone wrong this morning that put him in this mood?

“Well, it would help if your orchestra actually played the music correctly. Or cared.” You spat back, lightly- hoping to encourage some sort of banter out of him. Kaiba glowered at you, a harsher look then yesterday. But you returned it with one of your own.

“My orchestra is perfectly fine. You’re just anal about the music.” He scoffed, and you huffed loudly. How dare he insult your music!

“Your orchestra doesn’t give two shits about the music I produce!” You snapped, and he turned to look at you while the elevator moved continued to move upwards- you glanced out of the corner of you eye to see it was on floor 6.

“If you didn’t have complicated music, it’d be easier for them to play.” Kaiba growled, as you turned to face him.

“Then maybe it’s time you get a better orchestra.” You suggested, and he raised an eyebrow at you.

“What will you do about the music due in three weeks then?” Kaiba asked skeptically. You beamed at him.

“I didn’t become a composer just so I can command an orchestra you know. I can play all the instruments to some extent and it wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve created a piece all by myself.” You bragged smirking at him, as you could see a small light enter Kaiba’s eyes at this. There it was, that glint of mild passion about his business. His staff.

The elevator dinged, signaling that you had arrived at floor 14. But he seemed in a slightly better mood then before. Thank goodness for ability to banter when needed… And the acute sense of how a person could feel. Kaiba actually walked out with you, to your disbelief, and followed you all the way to the studio where you now worked. All the while, watching people to see if they were working. Everyone was set on edge.

Fumbling for your keys, you opened the studio and then stopped. Why was Kaiba still here, following you?

“Don’t you have a ton of meetings to get to?” You asked, looking him up and down as Kaiba crossed his arms and glowered at you.

“One of them is on this floor, in-“ He glanced at his watch, “five minutes. It’s to discuss how the programing has bugs in it that I personally had to fix. And now, because of you, the replacement of an entire orchestra.” He added in, and you felt a pang of guilt. Well… There goes that job for those people. But that Violin 1 pissed you off anyways.

You watched Kaiba sharply turn around to head to the conference room down the hall. Entering your studio, the first thing you did was enter the recording room. You gently moved all the microphones around, and wondered where they potentially stored all the instruments on this floor. But, to your amusement and slight amounts of dread, you opened up your folder of messed up music from yesterday- and tossed it in the air.

It caused all the papers to scatter about the room. You smiled at the mess you made, and started with the closest paper. Belonging to Violin 2, you created a pile somewhere in the room. Another belonged to French Horn 1, another Trumpet 3. This continued on, till finally all the music was put in their respective piles. You sat down on the floor, and pulled the closest pile to you.

Putting them in piles was the easy part, now it was putting the music back in order. You had to put aside the beginning of the piece when you found it, and then the end at the other side of the room. Basically creating an invisible line of music on the floor of your thankfully spacious recording area. You went through the music, cursing yourself for writing such a long boss soundtrack, and had to reorder it all.

Once that Trumpet 1 section had been reordered properly, it was easier to line up Trumpet 2 next to it as the chords were simpler to match up. It continued like this, till everything was organized again. With piles of music scattered about the room, and with very little music to go on from yesterday’s recordings… You sighed, regretting the fact that you bragged about your ability to play most instruments. But it was a requirement from the school you attended, and in the end that skill has proven more than useful, time and time again.

 

“At least you keep yourself busy.” A gruff voice grumbled at the entrance of your recording room. Your head snapped up to find Kaiba leaning on the doorway, looking mildly bored- arms crossed. You were just about to go get one of the violins hopefully from somewhere on the floor.

“Well looked what the cat dragged in. You look worse than a few minutes ago.” You shot back, as Kaiba checked the time.

“It’s already one in the afternoon. I haven’t seen you in six hours.” He confirmed, as you pulled out your smart phone from your pocket, pressing the home button. Sure enough, it had been six hours since he left this morning.

“Then why are you here? Don’t you have better things to do then bother a wackjob musician?” You scoffed, lightly insulting yourself. It was true though, and your co-workers certainly thought so as someone had actually taken the time to poke his head in- insult you about how you wasted your time in such a good studio, and take off to do his job.

Though, Kaiba frowned at this. He didn’t appreciate self-demeanorings, and he’d heard what went on in the other room what that co-worker had said. But wouldn’t admit it to you. He’d also seen how everyone was glowering at you this morning, and no doubt it was because of the last couple people he thought would’ve had been good choices since they were business women.

All those women had served to do was make his staff more hostile to open ideas and new potential suitors.

“You need to eat sometime. All I see in here is a coffee mug.” He grumbled, causing you to full on laugh.

“You?! Want me to eat?! Please! All I’ve ever seen you do is sip coffee and sometimes snack on a piece of caramel or two in public conferences!” You even snorted at this, unable to contain the irony of the man who was telling you to eat. Kaiba glared at you, his expression darkening. But you didn’t even care.

“I am a human too, you know. Plus, I don’t need another person complaining about how I worked them to the point of exhaustion. Legally, I am required to make you eat.” Kaiba threw the whole ‘legal’ thing in your face, causing you to sigh in content. Oh that was a great belly laugh.

“Only if you eat with me, everyone needs to see the famous workaholic eat something. It’d totally make your staff’s day.” You challenged, causing Kaiba to think inwardly about this. You could at least guess that it wasn’t in the CEO’s normal schedule to eat- and that was something you two had in common. You never ate at work, and barely at home to be honest.

“I won’t eat in front of my staff. They don’t need to think I’m slacking off. It tends to make them think they can get away with not working in my company.” He explained plainly, as you sighed.

“Fair enough. Now, if you excuse me- I’ve gotta find a co-worker who can help me find a violin.” You grumbled, and he still stood in your way. You tried to see a way around him, but then realized you saw a laptop under his arm. His silver brief case in hand…

“Not until you eat something.” He demanded, his blue eyes death glaring at you under his long chocolate bangs.

“Kaiba-“

“Seto.” He corrected.

“I don’t care! I have to work, and so do you! If you’re going to camp here, which I don’t understand why you would, at least move so I can continue my work too!” You snarled, Kaiba raising an eye brow at your tone. You really did sound frustrated at him.

“What makes you think I’m going to camp here? I have an office of my own.” He smirked at you, and finally you grew frustrated enough to actually force him to turn around. Surprised at your strength, Kaiba suddenly found himself shoved outside of his own studio and the door slammed in his face. He heard the door lock behind him.

“Open the door.” He commanded you, as you snapped back.

“No! Leave me alone, you annoying ass CEO!” You cursed, now wondering how you were going to get the violin now. You could at least draw a rough rehearsal with a launch pad… But you didn’t want the boss music to sound so… Artificial.

Kaiba took a quick glance, your co-workers were staring. With a look of disgust. Probably at the high disrespect to him, and his positon. No wonder you didn’t want to come out of your studio. He knew that every one of his staff hated any potential partner he chose, either because of the fact that she had gotten that positon when they wanted it- or if it seemed as if she abused that power… The only way that you abused that power was the ability to speak freely around him, and shove him out of his own studio… He then understood that your positon put you in the same circle of malice he would receive too. Kaiba knew exactly what to do.

 

You had settled on creating a rough rehearsal with the door still locked, and your lunch long past gone. On the inside, you felt slightly bad about the way you had treated Kaiba- as he was only looking out for your wellbeing. Even if he was legally required to do so. But with too much work to do, and the lack of orchestra now- the work had all but tripled for you. Suddenly a phone rang, underneath all of the papers you had scattered around and you scrambled to pick it up.

‘Mr. Kaiba summons you to his office in five minutes.’ Your earbud translated for you, as if also served as another pang of guilt that Kaiba always switched his languages to one that you could understand. Damn… Why were you such a jerk to him earlier? Even if it was legally required, he was probably just walking out from the conference room and noticed that you were still working. Double damn…

You pulled your mic out, and spoke into it- saying that you’ll be there… Turning around, you unlocked the door and peeked outside. You could see twilight gleaming through the windows of the outside cubical floor, and that everyone seemed to be focused. You put one of the launch pads in your briefcase, and a pair of actual earbuds with your music and slowly crept out of your hiding hole.

Most of your co-workers had already left for the day, save for a few that worked overtime for the upcoming game. So it was a little easier to get to the public elevator.

‘Oh, there she goes. Finally.’ You heard someone whisper, and sighed. There it was, the constant gossip from a group that had somehow devoted to making sure you knew you weren’t welcome. Didn’t help your situation either. But nonetheless, you got into the elevator and clicked the top button.

 

The elevator opened up to a long wide hallway. One side was covered in windows, the other was a wall full of trophies and placs of awards that the company had won over the years. There was a line of chairs by the windows, and at the end was a secretary furiously typing away. Practically destroying the paper that she was working on.

Quietly you approached the desk, as she looked up at you with boredom behind her particularly placed black glasses. She then pushed the intercom on her phone to Kaiba’s office.

‘She’s here, sir.’ Your earbud translated for you, and it took a moment to realize that Kaiba had said let her in in Japanese as well. Whatever he did to your earbud, it worked so much faster then before.

Cautiously, you opened the large ebony doors to his office. It was neat, and minimalistic. There were two chairs in front of his desk that was absolutely covered in papers, disks, and you could even catch the glimpse of a deck box peeking out from behind the dual screen computer at the edge of his work area.

There were a couple bookshelves on one side as another held a set of TV’s, tuned to different news stations but all on mute with the captions delaying on each word. But there the man was, typing away- that rhythm just instantly drawing you in.

“Sit.” Was all he told you to do, and you walked forward to take a seat cautiously at one of the chairs.

You could see the remnants of a small sandwich from the cafeteria that the Company had on his desk, telling you he had indeed ate.

“We have another dinner tonight, so I need you to leave work early to change into the dress you wore last night.” He commanded, all you could do is sigh and nod.

“Who is it with this time?” You asked eventually, breaking the silence. Kaiba glanced up at you, but his typing never ceased.

“A conductor for an orchestra. American actually.” He murmured, and watched your eyes just light up.

“W-what?! Which one? Is it Ederf, or John?” You stammered in excitement, and Kaiba sighed at your excited outbursts.

“Nither. Marrer.” He explained, and heard you gasp.

“Y-You got Marrer to fly all the way over here?!” You asked loudly, standing up and pounding your hands on his desk. He actually had to sit back to avoid colliding his face with yours.

“No, we’re flying over there and conducting interviews for your new orchestra.” Kaiba stated, matter-of-factly. Your face went blank for two seconds.

“Wait… This is a business trip? But I have a lot of work due this week.” You stammered, and Kaiba nodded.

“I understand that, as do I. But without an orchestra, my other lead musicians have nothing to work with… Thanks to you, I might add.” He panged at you, causing you to wince and sit back in your chair.

“But yes. I did get Marrer to fly over here. We will have dinner with him tonight, and I want you to find all the best suggestions for new instrument players. I don’t care what their ethnicity is, or how far they are.” Kaiba ordered, but a small smile played on his lips. He hadn’t had this much fun toying with someone in a long time. His last suitor couldn’t care less about how the cogs of the wheel spun, so long as the machine ran well. You bounced lightly in your seat, and Kaiba pointed to the direction of his private elevator.

“You can take that down. I have a car waiting for you, to take you back to your apartment.” He stated, and he had never seen you walk faster to the elevator that day.

 

It was almost like taking a kid to a candy store, for you at least. Marrer was famous among the composer world for getting any orchestra to sound the way he wanted- and if you could just have him look at your work in general, it would mean the biggest thing.

However, Mokuba was waiting for you at the door to your apartment with a big flashy grin on his face. Oh no… His party. You had almost forgotten.

“Ah ha, and the lady of the house arrives!” He smiled at you. You gave him a nervous smile, and he returned one back with one twice as big and just as confident to match.

“H-hey Mokuba about that party…”

“Don’t worry, my brother already called. He said the discussion shouldn’t run into it and you’ll be fashionably late.” He joked, as you couldn’t imagine Kaiba saying something about you being ‘fashionably late’ as it seemed something the younger would comment… But at the moment you were just giddy on the inside. Mokuba opened the door for you, and practically ran to your bed room- unknown to you for some reason. All you heard was loud banging, and for some reason the sound of a defeated horn…

“Mokuba! You’d better not be trying to make off with one of my instruments again!” You called, as you walked through the hall way. Indeed he had tripped on the trombone case… Thank goodness that it wasn’t damaged in anyway. But your relief lasted briefly as Mokuba came down with the dress that Kaiba had given you last night.

“Come on, lets get you ready!” He smiled at you, and you got a sudden chill down your spine.

“I can do it myself you know…” You murmured, looking at him worried. But Mokuba wasn’t ready to let you go quite yet as that evil smile creeped up on his face.

“Oh no. I can’t let you do that. I do my model’s makeup, and what they wear on a regular basis. There is no way you can go out with your hair like that, or your work day face.” He smirked, as you tried to back into the door- but it shut as you bumped into it.

“Mokuba! No!” You squeaked, as the younger brother descended onto you with what seemed malicious intent.

 

Seto stood outside your apartment, dressed in a black trench coat that overlaid the suit that was underneath. He wasn’t quite sure what was taking so long, but judging by the fact that one of Mokuba’s sport cars were here spoke a lot about what might’ve been happening inside. If anything, he got tired of waiting and opened the door to your apartment.

He nearly tripped over a trombone case immediately, and had to move it to the side. Your place was just as messy as the studio you left this afternoon… Which pleased him mildly on the inside. It spoke great lengths about your character, and as an employer- he was happy to see that you actually put forth the effort to give it your all. Seto had been getting frustrated about the people who he had hired for the new game project, and you just dismissing his entire orchestra just made him a little more grumpy.

“Mokuba! Hurry up with your toy, I’ve got to go!” He called upstairs, as he heard you squeak- probably some form of ‘help’ in your case.

“She’ll be down when she decides to come out from the closet!” Mokuba called back, opening the door to your bedroom. He could see it was just as bad of a mess in there as it was down here… God, this woman was a disaster just waiting to happen.

“I-I’ll be down in just a second!” You managed, and finally walked down the stairs. Mokuba had actually done his job, and cleaned you up nicely. Your hair fell in loose ringlets around your shoulders, and had lined your eyes with some easy eyeliner on top of the light blue eyeshadow. You looked beyond nervous though, and it only served to make your outward stage presence so much smaller than that at work or in the studio.

His younger brother followed you to make sure that you didn’t run back to the closet. While the idea of meeting Marrer seemed like a good idea at the time, you realized halfway through all the ‘what ifs’ that could happen and Mokuba watched it set you off like a ticking time bomb.

“This is right up your alley. You’ll be fine.” Kaiba explained bluntly, as you gulped. He grasped your hand, and guided you back to the limo. Mokuba smiled at you as he climbed inside as well. There was a suit inside for him too, and you looked at Kaiba in confusion.

“Since we’re going to his party later, might as well invite him. At least if Marrer and I get into a conversation you can’t understand- then you have someone to talk to. Mokuba is actually more fluent in English then I, considering he spent a good portion of his college on American soil.” Kaiba murmured, not even letting the door shut before that miraculously appearing laptop coveted his gaze again. Your hand shot up to your ear, to find that the earpiece was still in there… But your microphone was now at home.

At least you could understand them this time.

 

The restaurant wasn’t as packed with paparazzi, as when the door opened it wasn’t as paralyzing as it was last time. Kaiba once again shielded you from the cameras, your internal metronome not so sporadic and you could actually breathe for once. Perhaps you were getting better at this.

‘Welcome Mr. Kaiba, your guest called and said he was about fifteen minutes out- would you care for your seats now?’ Your earbud recalled for you, the host asking as politely as he could. Kaiba simply nodded, and suddenly you felt much more included this time around compared to when you didn’t have your earbud in.

 

The music was playing classical Mozart… Even better. Something you could personally hum along to.

 

Seto noticed how relaxed you were, practically glowing with happiness. Mokuba had been right, playing that music in this space. Getting her more familiar with an easier client she could relate to. His younger brother sat across from him and you, beaming all the while watching you enjoy your musical bliss.

He had thrown you in just like the other business women he had courted, and they swam. You sunk that night, and sunk hard… With your co-workers constantly heckling you, just as his shareholders did him- he had no idea how to go about it, but noticed how when Mokuba came and swung by the night before how close you two were, Seto finally ended up asking Mokuba what would be the best situation for you to learn business deals in.

 

He had no idea what effect it would have on you.

 

Not only when Marrer arrived, did you offer you hand in a polite American manner- you got your introduction before Seto could even stand. It was only after you two got done talking about composer and conductor speech was when he actually got his word in, and explained the situation you had put them in.

“Seto, you have no idea how hard it is for a composer to work with an orchestra that doesn’t care.” Marrer then explained to him, leaving you beaming with passion that sparkled in your eyes. Mokuba was having a ball, watching your life sparkle before his eyes. Seto could see it too. You sat up straighter, you were more engaged in the conversation and knew more about a conductor’s positon than any other musician he had sat down with.

You didn’t just swim, you raced.

“I understand that, I’ve just never had any other my other soundtrack musicians complain about them.” Seto put it plainly, nodding his head in mild agreement.

“I do believe it’s due to the fact that your wonderful fiancé knows her way around a musical piece. I’ve met plenty of composers before, you and I have had this particular conversation many times with different lead musicians.” Marrer smiled, making you blink in confusion. Marrer and Kaiba have had this conversation before? What did that mean? Nor were you used to the term ‘fiancé’ being part of your title as well.

“I can agree on that aspect. She’s not very good in a Japanese business setting though.” Kaiba openly insulting you, causing your folded hands to twitch lightly. Marrer laughed, and sighed at his bluntness.

“None of us musicians are Seto. Trying to get us to understand business is trying to get Mokuba to do graphic design instead of photography.” Marrer pointed out, Mokuba snickering at his comment. You figured it was true, considering how openly Marrer used the Kaiba brothers’s names so easily.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Marrer- how long has Ka- Seto been trying to work with you?” You couldn’t help but ask, earning another whole hearted laugh from him. Marrer shifted in his positon, you could tell he crossed his legs. Meaning he was more engaged into the conversation then before.

“Since the very first Duel Monsters App. He heard about my conducting experience through a lead musician for the sound track at the time. But I’ve never sat down with a musician who didn’t know the difference between Mozart and Bach.” Marrer smirked, as if remembering that conversation was an interesting one… But who doesn’t know the difference between two legendary composers? Like… Seriously?! Even you would’ve loved to sit down for that conversation. Kaiba sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose again- as if not wanting to remember that particular business deal.

“Yes. I realized that as soon as that business deal was over, that I needed to re-evaluate my staff. I fired three musicians that day. Mind you.” Kaiba grumbled, as you realized he was the one slightly feeling out of place this time. He didn’t really dabble in music the way you did, and you didn’t dabble in business and coding the way he did. You two were really an odd off pair… Somehow.

“Well, the hard part is over my old friend. I don’t think I’ll be too mad about working with this composer. So long as she helps me pick out the rest of the orchestra.” Marrer smiled, and held out his hand to Kaiba- who took it with respect.

Then the two launched into the business side of things, in Japanese, and you were lost completely.

While Marrer knew his way around his minimum pay, there were a lot of things that went with it. The requirement to practice their own concerts, at their own times, and be sponsored by the Kaiba Corp. The maintenance that went with the instruments, the possible housing for the new orchestra, and so much more. There was a lot of money involved and at one point, you just stopped counting the zeros.

There you were, stuck back in your tiny corner when you finally felt like you had gained some ground.

But, at least you had Mozart to listen to. It helped sooth your internal metronome while you listened to the drawl of the conversation.

‘I don’t want to be paired with another one of those business people you keep around Kaiba. They’re bad for a musician’s health. I hope she isn’t like that.’ Marrer instructed, and Kaiba smirked at this. Leaning confidently back in the chair, he too crossing his legs.

‘She wouldn’t have been offered the positon otherwise, Marrer. I don’t keep incompetent people on my staff.’ He stated, as you fingered the wine glass that Kaiba had ordered for the two of you earlier that evening. Mokuba checked his watch, as you had about an hour before his party started. Thank goodness you had already eaten your food.

‘I don’t know. Those last three that tried to fill the position had bitten off more than they could chew. Be careful, my friend. I don’t want to see you go down the road your father did.’ You snapped your head to them at that last comment- hearing a crack from the wine glass. What?! Since when was Kaiba’s father a part of his courtmanship among woman? Mokuba looked at you with concern, as you realized that the entire table was indeed staring at you.

You looked down at the wine glass, and realized you had cracked it down the middle when you had set it down on the table… More or so slammed it at that point.

Why did you do that? Kaiba isn’t even your partner, much less someone you particularly cared about… Maybe it was the mention of that person. He had caused a lot of grief for your family across seas in the company they worked too… Yeah, it just bought up bad memories you didn’t want to relive.

“You alright?” Mokuba asked, breaking the tense silence. You smiled politely and removed your hand from the broken wine glass.

“I’m alright, sorry for the scare… I saw a spider.” You sheepishly admitted, even though it was far from the truth. Marrer sighed at you, a more concerned look gracing his older features.

“Little lady, if that’s how you smash spiders- let’s hope none of them show up for the rehearsals during work.”


	4. Bittersweet Nerves

The dinner with Marrer ended quickly, with you interjecting sometimes about random ideas regarding the upcoming soundtrack when Kaiba was explaining what the new game entailed. Since it was an easy adventure RPG, aimed more or so at teenagers this time around, the soundtrack needed to keep those gosh darn teenagers focused… Or so you said. That meant a lot of trumpet, violin, and flute work with a strong brass section. Of course, when enemies appeared in the game- the percussion would need to pick it up a notch as the brass would then be the low vocal point of the music.

In other words- a strong adaptable orchestra that could drop a dime in a single measure. It meant a lot of work for the interviews, and listening to every single applicant… On top of making the rough electrical drafts on your launch pad till the orchestra was in place.

Within three weeks… Great.

But Marrer was pleased with your and Kaiba’s dedication to the game, as Kaiba always has been- the conductor seemed especially happy to find a suitor that finally matched his passion when it came to the quality of the products his company produced… Which flew extremely high above your head.

Then of course, the waitress eventually brought out the food- and replaced your shattered wine glass. You didn’t really eat much, as now your nerves were starting to arise again to a different matter-

“Hey, Seto- I don’t mean to cut this short, but I’ve got an opening to get to.” Mokuba pointed out, and Kaiba nodded before offering his hand to Marrer. He returned it with a firm handshake.

“I will be seeing you and your lovely lady tomorrow then.” Marrer winked at you, catching you off guard as you looked away bashfully. Seto nodded, before taking your hand and leading out of the restaurant and into the limo once more. Mokuba loosened his tie, and opened up a couple of the buttons- revealing the duel monster card locket underneath. He then proceeded to fluff his hair up, or as you liked to call it – ‘floofing’.

Kaiba on the other hand was on his laptop before you could even blink. Already into his work- you saw the lights beginning to flash as he was probably scrolling through his emails. Mokuba raised an eyebrow at him, and then elbowed him lightly. Kaiba looked back at the brother with skepticism as the younger gestured back to you. You sat there, watching this silent conversation between the two of them- surprised that they could even hold a decent face towards each other. It just went to show how close they were.

Kaiba eventually sighed, and closed his laptop- facing you. You returned his sharp gaze with one of confusion.

“You did okay.” Was all he said, but it widened your eyes none the less. The compliment caused you to smile back at him warmly- and Kaiba was caught off guard by it. Mokuba nudged him, telling him that what he had done was perfect for you. It caused you to whole heartedly beam, as if you gave off a small glow of content.

But the limo stopped, and the door opened.

Internally, your metronome stopped. Cameras were everywhere to the entrance of the building- lined with fan girls for Mokuba Kaiba. While yes, it wasn’t about the multi-million dollar CEO- Mokuba was still famous in his own ways.

_‘Little girl- won’t you put on a show for the camera?’_ Something echoed.

You couldn’t even get out the limo- as the older brother saw your face go completely blank. It looked as if your thought process had completely stopped and you were brought somewhere you didn’t want to be. Mokuba on the other hand, had easily gone out to meet his fans and Kaiba was going to just walk straight in… But he couldn’t with you like this. What he saw on your face, was something he’d seen on his own time and time again…

You weren’t suited for this kind of life. It was glaringly obvious.

Barely hearing the door slam, you watched as Kaiba texted something on his phone- and went back to his laptop. At some point, classical music began to play from the radio in the back ground. With his rhythmical typing, and familiar songs playing- eventually your mind drifted back as he watched you slowly bring pieces of you back together.

But you were more surprised at the fact that you weren’t at your apartment- but rather heading into the Kaiba Mansion Gates, when you finally could focus.

“W-Wait… I thought we were going to Mokuba’s party?” You managed, your voice barely above a whisper. Kaiba shook his head- gesturing to the mansion instead.

“I want you to organize my office at home. You will also continue to do so at work as well.” Kaiba ordered, bringing you for a full loop.

“…What?! Why?” This was certainly a development you weren’t prepared for. How would you ever get work done?!

“Because my secretaries don’t understand organization the way you do. Those documents you organized at the train station were exactly how they needed to be.” Kaiba mentioned, as you vaguely remembered doing that… Wasn’t that only yesterday morning? So much had gone on since then…

Driving up to the mansion was a breathtaking sight. The gardens themselves were gorgeous, with different kinds of flowers- but for some reason… All in light blue. But that didn’t drive your attention from the Blue Eyes White Dragon hedge on the left, and the Dark Magician on the right. They looked like they were about to fight each other- as you spotted some sort of stone slab at the bottom of the Duel Monster on the right… What was that for, you could only wonder.

When reaching to the front of the house, the limo driver let you out. Kaiba easily walked up the steps, as you followed in awe behind him. The front doors were opened for you and Kaiba- as the man easily walked inside. You couldn’t help but stop and say thank you as politely as you could. The butler easily replied in English- which made you feel slightly more comfortable.

“Jin! From now on, when she comes to the mansion- she will be taking Japanese language lessons!” You could hear Kaiba yell from across the foyer. Jin, the butler who had opened the door for you, bowed in his directions and ushered you in before shutting the door.

You couldn’t help but follow Kaiba to where ever he was going in this large maze of a house. The theme was easy on the eyes, light blue walls with light wood floors. Sometime you’d catch a couple pictures with different people from different tournaments over the years… One of them you recognized as the dueling champion you’d seen many times in the news. Kaiba always stuck in second place… You knew that feeling all too well.

Kaiba called your name from one of the rooms down the hall.

Hurrying as much as you could to his voice, you found that he was already sitting down at a desk in the middle of a replica of the office he had at work. But with a couch and low table in front of the desk instead of chairs…

“Jeez… I thought I was messy…” You murmured. There was paper strewn about everywhere. Documents that Kaiba was still using was on his desk- but piles after piles lay on the couch, the tables, and even his recycle bin was completely full. Plastic coffee cups lay empty scattered about on some of the piles- one of them comprising of at least five empty containers stacked together neatly.

“My maid for this room quit recently. You’d do just fine.” Kaiba ordered, his low voice serving to bring you out of the corner of your mind. So did his rhymical typing. Surprisingly- there were no filing cabinets in the office… So you made due with what you had- the empty bookshelves. The organizing served as an easy distraction for you- as he had an endless supply of binders and folders. One of his maids brought in an entire box full of three-ring binders and manila folders… You cleared yourself off a spot on one of the couches and took the nearest pile next to you.

Seto didn’t even realize how long he had been typing- till at one point he looked up, and you had fallen asleep on his sofa. Leaning upright with a pile of documents in your hands.

Later that morning, someone was nudging your shoulder. You blinked sleepily, wondering what had happened. When did you fall asleep? How did you fall asleep? Looking around warily, you saw that it was morning as the sun was shining through Kaiba’s office windows… Why were you still in Kaiba’s office?! Though you looked up to see Kaiba towering above you, a neutral look in his eyes. The bags underneath them darker than ever- had he worked through the night?

“Wake up. I need to go to work.” He grunted, his white trench coat folded in his arms. Kaiba hadn’t even changed from the clothes last night…

“It’s my day off though…” You murmured sleepily, stretching as you heard a couple bones pop and snap. Your back was stiff, and so was your neck.

“Not anymore. Marrer is supposed to be at the office in two hours. We’ll stop by your apartment on the way over.” Kaiba shortly explained, causing you to shoot up and stand. That’s right! The conductor! But your head swam as you stumbled backward a little, and a hand snuck around your waist. Holding you upright, Kaiba was closer to you then he had ever been in anytime that you had spent together. He looked extremely unamused at you, as Kaiba put you back upright and let go.

“If you make me late, your work load will double.” He hissed, as you stood there- remembering his warmth for just a few seconds.

 

The limo stopped in front of your apartment abruptly, as Kaiba practically shoved you out the door. He gave you thirty minutes to get ready, and you weren’t about to waste it. Practically ripping the dress off of you, and hopping into the shower- the warmth of the water ran over you contently. But it didn’t last long as you had to wipe Mokuba’s make up off, and take everything out of your hair- washing it thoroughly.

You chose a basic pair of work jeans, and a black t-shirt while putting on your shoes down your staircase. Grabbing a violin, and making sure it wasn’t a soprano- in poor hopes to get the bow replaced- you jumped back into the limo. Music in hand, wet hair tied up in a messy ponytail- you had planned to really get into the music and play those Violin 1 solos by hand to make sure they were fluent.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at you, looking at your casual attire in question. Before sighing, and returning to his laptop… Finally, it gave you a chance to look him over.

Just as you had done in the elevator, indeed the bags under his eyes were darker then yesterday. There was a dullness to his eyes that wasn’t there before… The passion was gone. He was on some form of auto-pilot, trying away at the computer. But the skin around his cheek bones seemed a little more stretched as well, meaning he hadn’t been eating lately… His chocolate brown hair was wet from the shower this morning.

“…I will eat, if you have lunch with me in the studio.” You offered, Kaiba glancing up at you- still dull in the eyes. Finally, after a bit of contemplation about it- he nodded in agreement. Causing you to give the smallest of smiles.

“I also… Um… Wanted to apologize for Mokuba’s party last night. I didn’t mean to freeze like that.” You tried to offer, only to notice that the dullness in Kaiba’s eyes grew darker. Extremely darker. Uh oh, bad topic.

“…I know you’re not suited for this life style. It’s obvious. If you want to continue in the position you are in, I’d recommend getting used to it as soon as possible. Less you want to quit.” Kaiba offered, as your eyes widened in shock at his olive branch… He knew, that last night was just too much for you.

“No… I won’t quit Seto.” You willingly lulled over his first name, as Seto looked up at you past his laptop. There was still about a fifteen minute drive to the main building- and an hour before Marrer would be at the studio. It made you quite aware that he could potentially fire you at a moment’s glance- but gave you the choice to quit, or stay. Which meant a lot to you in a very “Kaiba” way. Suddenly, you watched his laptop close. He sat back, arms crossed, as he stared you down.

Of course, you returned the gaze.

He was contemplating something. What it was, you didn’t know. But eventually, you saw the smallest of smiles grace Seto’s face. But it didn’t last long, as your stomach gave a loud rumble. It caused you to jump in embarrassment, and hold your chest.

“S-sorry, I didn’t really eat much last night.” You murmured, as Seto shook his head in disappointment. That strange smile gone.

“You’re eating breakfast in the office with me then.” He commanded, as you frowned at him.

“I don’t eat breakfast. It’s a non-existent meal.” You hissed, Seto leaned forward to you- resting an elbow on his knee in confidence.

“You don’t get a choice.” He ordered, making you groan in complaint.

 

Once again, entering the foyer to the main building was a hassle. Everyone was glaring at you again, and Seto could easily see it. They made the very atmosphere of the place seem dark, and angry.

‘You will be fired if I catch you standing around and gossiping when you could be working!’ You heard Seto yell in Japanese, and it reminded you of what he had told his butler last night. Having no idea how that was going to work- you didn’t know when you would be able to fit that in with the upcoming three weeks… Now two weeks and four days. But it made you laugh a little watching all the employees scatter into their respective floors. Seto glanced down at you in curiosity- that had been the first time he had heard you laugh, since he met you.

What interested him more, was the fact that you laughed at him threatening to fire everyone. Not at them glaring at you, or laughing in their suffering. Just laughing at the pure chaotic situation around you. Everyone scrambling like rats that had just been caught. For once, Seto was slightly glad to have a potential suitor around.

When you two reached his office on the top floor- his secretary had a small platter of pastries to pick from on her desk. It wasn’t Seto’s office only on this floor as you saw that a few had been taken. Looking around, you didn’t notice before but there was a hall to the right of Seto’s office- and was most likely all the leaders of each department. Your other boss was probably in there somewhere…

But Seto picked a small caramel drizzled scone, while you were about to grab some coffee from the break room down the hall. A loud cough from him reminded you to grab something, as you grumpily grabbed one of the blue berry scones and the pot of coffee with two mugs- trudging into Seto’s office.

Seto’s office was just as messy as his home one, and you had just been there last night. You hadn’t seen the now forever growing piles of more documents behind him. One would’ve never thought that this CEO preferred his important papers in an organized chaos. You poured a cup of coffee for Seto in one of the mugs, and put it on his desk. Noticing that there was a small clearing with a flattened sticky note with many coffee rings on it, you set the mug there- Seto tapping the desk twice with his fore and middle finger without looking up from his computer.

“It means thank you, in Sign for the Chinese Mafia.” Seto easily explained, making you nearly drop your mug. You hissed as some of the hot coffee spilt a little on your hand. Setting it on the desk, careful not to get it on any of the documents- he looked up at you lazily. Unconcerned, or more likely thinking ‘Really?’.

“Y-You have connections to the Chinese Mafia?!” You spat, holding your slightly red hand in your shirt. It was slightly colder. Seto scoffed at you.

“Of course I don’t. I’ve dealt with clients who do- one of them happening to be an assistant to a gaming company General Manager. It was just a habit I particularly thought was more practical then saying words, and wasting energy.” He stated, as it mildly amused you. You saw that deeper meaning behind the words…

“In a different term- you thought it was cool.” Seto glowered at you, but you saw that light back in his eyes. He was feeling slightly better… That’s good. Satisfied with your small banter, you resumed pouring your cup of coffee and watched out of the corner of your eye as Seto dipped a small torn piece of the caramel scone into the coffee before eating it. Interesting.

“Stop staring, and eat. Preferably before seven, when Marrer arrives.” Seto reminded you, as you looked at your smart phone. It was already six thirty. When had he woken you up?! You took a bite of your blue berry scone- the light fluffy taste filling your mouth, but at the same time making you want to gag. You weren’t used to eating breakfast, but was glad Seto was. He needed it, judging by how tight his skin was on his facial bones.

But, you picked up your violin- scone in hand, and your briefcase as you went to head towards Seto’s elevator. You weren’t too surprised to find that the door opened for your ID.

“Lunch at noon. Don’t forget!” You called to Seto, who nodded in response but never let his eyes drift away from the computer.

 

You were just pulling out your burgundy Manchester violin, before you heard a small knock at the recording door. You had found a small family owned shop in Montana while you were in the States, and enjoyed their services ever since. Their brand of violins, Manchester, had been the best that worked with you.

But just as you were about to start the first solo, Marrer had walked through the door. You smiled at him, and he waved back to you.

“Well, little lady? You ready to interview?” Yes, and no. But you already had a rough draft of what you wanted the music to sound like, and once again began to put your violin away. He made a small comment about your violin, returning it with a thank you from you.

Thank God, you had a translator. Not an earbud- but a physical translator. You and Marrer were sitting at the ‘judges’ table in the orchestra theater, listening to every person that had flown in for the interviews. Each and every individual dying to get a seat into the Kaiba Corp. Orchestra… Sometimes it was so bad, even you had to stop them half way through and dismiss them… Like right now.

One of the water glasses next to you physically cracked, and you moved it just a little further. Waving your hands to the flute, signaling them to stop. They spoke to you in Chinese- and your earbud worked its magic yet again.

‘What is it? Did I do something wrong?’ Her high pitched voice rang in your ears. Even Marrer was wincing at this point.

‘No, we heard enough for the interview. We will call you if we want to proceed further!’ You told the translator in English, and they spoke to the participator. They nodded, smiling, and took their music with them as they exited the stage. Marrer whistled at that last… performance.

“If you interrupted them, that’s pretty bad.” He joked, as you checked your watch. Eleven thirty… The wait was starting to kill you.

“No kidding. I’m surprised you didn’t.” You scoffed back, crossing off that name from the list. Marrer shook his head in disappointment.

“So far… What do we have? Four violins, five trombones, twelve percussionists, one obo… Out of how many people?” Marrer asked, looking over the list. You scratched your head- this was going to be much harder than you thought. You would have to call all these people back while Marrer took the time to listen to your rough drafts.

“Those are only potentials too, nothing final. But I do want that guy…” You couldn’t find the name, but you flipped through the sheets until you found it.

“Minu. I want Minu for sure. As Violin 1.” You stated, Marrer nodding in agreement.

“He was really good. I will agree. His high notes in the Schneider’s Theme were solid compared to the other… attempts I’ve heard today.” Marrer thought back to the twenty year old you had seen earlier. He was a little shy, and didn’t talk very loud but God damn- his violin spoke the words he couldn’t get out.

“Minu needs the job too, especially if his mom’s sick like it is specified on the resume.” You murmured, looking over his experience. You’d have to back on Sound Cloud if you wanted to listen to more of his work. Looking at your watch, you realized it was eleven forty five. Jumping up, you left Marrer at the judges table.

“Have a good lunch, say hello to that grumpy man for me!” He called, as you waved good-bye to him for the time.

Barely making it to the studio from the theater, you opened your studio five minutes till. Sighing in relief, with Seto not being there yet- you were surprised to find that your violin case was open… and destroyed.

“What…?” You bent over, picking up the poor mangled instrument. The strings had been snapped, the bow frayed beyond repair. There were some tuning nobs missing, as you saw the razor cuts along the wood in the neck and base… Sitting on the floor, you sighed- resting your forehead on the neck of the mangled violin.

“I’m so sorry old friend… I should’ve locked the door…” You whispered, sniffling a little before hearing foot steps behind you. Looking up, Seto was at the door way with a confused look on his face. But it didn’t take him long to put two and two together. He saw the tears in your eyes, and immediately scowled. You quickly wiped them away, standing up and hiding the violin behind your back.

“H-hey, you’re on time!” You tried to smile, but even Seto could see how heartbroken you were over this. He knew it would be like losing one of his Blue Eyes and having it torn to shreds right in front of him. It hurt, and Seto knew it. Something like that isn’t easy to overcome, and he strode right up to you- pulling your arm from behind your back. You struggled at first, but eventually gave up in defeat as he looked over the damages. It wouldn’t be repairable… Considering it came from Manchester, a now out-of-business Violin repair shop, it was something that meant a lot to you.

“I probably should’ve locked the door, and um… It’s my-my fault this happened. It-It’s stupid, and I can always get it repla-“

“Don’t do that to yourself, when it’s not your fault. Especially when it’s something this precious.” Seto cut your ramblings off, causing you to sniffle a little more. You continuously wiped tears out of your eyes with your sleeves. He sighed, looking away. More than aware of how uncomfortable he was, you gave a sorrowful laugh and took a couple deep breaths. Seto however, opened his brief case and pulled out a couple cafeteria sandwiches, handing one to you.

You sighed at his gesture, taking one of the seats next to the sound boards and opened it up. Seto had taken the violin from you and set it back in its case, shutting it so you weren’t tempted to look at the damage wrought. He sat across from you, crossing his legs as he watched you take a small bite of the sandwich.

“…If I told you, I had a Stradivarius- would you use it?” He asked, before taking a bite. You full on spat out your food into your hand, wiping it in a napkin and throwing it in a nearby trash bin.

“What?! No! Absolutely not! I can’t play my horrible music on such a holy instrument!” You shouted, completely thrown off guard by that question. You shouldn’t have been surprised, considering this was Seto and all… But still… There were less than 500 of those in the world as violins. All in historical museums or under lock and key by millionaires. Seto grimaced at your loudness, and you sat back down in your seat- quieting your voice.

“S-sorry… I know I shouldn’t be surprised, coming from you- but… I can’t handle a Stradivarius. I’m not worthy.” You murmured, the thought sounding expectably pleasing… But you knew you weren’t that good of a violinist to pull that elegant sound off.

“I am a billionaire. After all. If I let you play, it’d only be at the mansion. I won’t let that thing anywhere out of it.” Seto stated, and you would’ve been totally fine with those rules. Except you didn’t believe that your skill were nowhere near as good enough to play something like that.

“Seto… I appreciate it I do. But, I’m not that good of a player. I mean- I used to be, but ever since I started composing, I haven’t had time to practice the way I want to.” You explained, a bittersweet look furrowing your eye brows and gentling your gaze towards him. Seto saw the honesty behind it, and was more surprised that you turned him down in a humble way- then jumping at the chance to play a legendary violin. What threw him off was that you said his name again.

“Why do you even have a Stradivarius anyways? Do you just like collecting them?” You asked curiously, finally find it safe to take a bite of the sandwich… Mhmm, baloney. Your favorite. Seto shrugged, taking a bite and eating before answering.

“I play. Once and a while.” You frowned at this, thinking seriously. Once and a while had to be a lie, if he had a Stradivarius. To even obtain one, if not by buying it, was to prove that the skill one possessed was breath taking and beautiful enough to even be worthy of playing a song on it. Let alone keep it.

“Once and a while sounds much more serious, considering the instrument we’re talking about.” Prodding just a little, you saw a glimpse of that distant look again. Bad memories, you got the jest quickly. Seto sighed, reminiscing a little before you.

“Hey, if it brings up bad memories- I don’t want to pry.” You offered, and Seto nodded. Remaining silent. He took another bite of his sandwich before gesturing to the violin.

“Oh, ol’ Manchester? I… I’ve had him since I started college. That was a supremely long time ago. I mean, Manchester was the violin I saved for concerts only. Or personal play. He had such a nice undertone to his sound- I couldn’t help but buy him. It was whole, deep, and vibrated through your rib cage anytime you’d play him.” You sighed, as you could still hear the violin’s sound in your head. That instrument had sang your song for so long, and here you were bringing it to work… Only to forget to lock the door.

Your phone began to buzz, as you turned off the alarm you had set for the end of lunch. Seto raised an eyebrow at you, no one cut off his lunch- especially when he was just beginning to pry some information willingly out of you. You sighed, giving him a glare.

“If you want to continue lunch- just come with me to the theater. No one’s your boss remember? Jeez…” You grumbled, taking a glance at your violin before packing up your sandwich and leaving the studio. Seto watched as you left, hearing numerous co-workers whisper about you- even at this distance.

Most of them were snickers.

Seto decided to cut his lunch short to go fire some immature bastards.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see you snickering a little, like this morning as Seto yelled at this group of young coders. Their eyes were wide, as Seto ripped them a new one. It was only when the elevator closed is when his Japanese speak came out.

‘I don’t know who you fuckers think you are, going around and gossiping about other people when the deadline is only three weeks away. You three need to go pack up your shit, get out of my building and expect a damage fee for destroying a Kaiba Corp. violin! Go!’ Your translator had picked up slight bits of this as you descended in the elevator. Now, while you didn’t feel happy about those three getting fired- you were certainly happy that Seto wasn’t about to take any malarkey from his staff. But you also knew in the long run- it’d create more work for himself… Now that he was down three coders. But, you certainly enjoyed hearing the pitter-patter of the now unemployed gossipmongers upstairs.

 

Seto on the other hand, returned to his office with three hastily written letters of resignation and practically slammed it on his poor secretary’s desk. But, she wasn’t surprised as the woman just looked at them before snickering.

“You’ve grown soft… sir.” She commented, Seto giving a small ‘tch’ before opening the doors of his office and shutting them behind him loudly. This was becoming annoying. The staff from that last business woman was beginning to cause more trouble than worth, and after this new game aired with the bugs fixed- he’d certainly felt like firing all of them and having you sit in the interviews with him…

Seto sat back in his chair, looking at his neat desk that you had organized before you had left the room for the morning interviews. It had become much easier to find things, to be perfectly frank. But, half of the time you were grumpy around him and he returned the same to you. He figured it was due to the lack of proper sleep from the last two nights that made you more open and impressionable today.

Since when did you covet his thoughts like this?

Opening one of his drawers, he rummaged through it till he found a flash drive at the bottom of it. Seto sighed, plugging it in as a bunch of musical files appeared on the screen. Each one starting with the term “The Lioness”, and plugged in a pair of earbuds. Putting one in his left ear, Seto clicked on the first one- the soothing violin sounds filling his consciousness. When was the last time he played like this? Frowning at his predicament, Seto settled for plugging away at his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the mild fluff! There will be many more chapters to come, as I've just been belting out chapters just due to running with the flow of the story. Thanks for reading!
> 
> -Zavier001


	5. The First Duet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write about that type of passion by a piece of beautiful music on YouTube. I just wanted to say thanks to HDSounDI- who uploaded the video "Most Emotional Music Ever: "Waves" by Mattia Cupelli". Of course, this isn't what your melody- or Seto's- will sound like. As even I don't know, and would rather leave that up to the reader to decide what that melody should sound like.
> 
> Thanks for reading, as always.  
> -Zavier001

You lumbered into your studio, yawning. Those interviews became so boring after a while- everyone choosing to do extremely hard pieces that were way too out of their range. Thus you’ve had to listen to botched music all day. Your ears actually hurt, and that cracked water glass had ended up shattering. So your hand got caught in the explosion- putting an end to the interviews as Marrer suggested you find medical as soon as possible.

There you were, your body falling in the chair as you cradled your bandaged hand. Your other working quickly on the sound board as some modern day violin pieces began to play. It soothed your ears mildly, as your eyelids began to droop just a little. Eventually they closed, and you sighed in content… When did Seto leave work, you wondered. Or what type of musical pieces did he play on that wonderful violin?

“Don’t fall asleep here. Wait till you get home at least.” A familiar caramel feeling voice graced your ears, as you opened your eyes groggily to Seto leaning on your door way. He surprisingly was dressed in his tight black shirt, and pants with the red and white trench coat on. His duelist outfit, and it confused you to no end. The same Duel Monsters locket on his chest.

You hummed at him, dismissing Seto with a wave of your hand as you yawned and was about to close your eyes until someone kicked the back of your chair. You yelped as you fell out of it onto your feet, and nearly hit the wall.

“What the hell, man?! I’m tryin’ to get a bit of shut ‘ye here!” Your southern accent came out, causing Seto to raise an eyebrow to you in skepticism.

“I don’t allow all-nighters in the office.” He stated, matter-of-fact tone laced his English. You huffed, and grumbled at him- picking up your violin case and the briefcase next to it. Seto was pleased inwardly to see the empty sandwich container in your trash bin.

“Look who’s talking, Mr. Work-through-the-night-on-only-coffee.” You snapped, as luckily most of your co-workers had decided to finally go home. Seto scoffed at you, his long legs starting to take longer steps then your own.

“That is, logically, a very long immature title that doesn’t apply to me.” Seto pointed out, rebuffing your insult as you two stepped into his private elevator. To you, at this point, the silence was more than welcome. Internally, you never thought that it would be a good thing but after today… You never wanted to hear another botched flutist again. Glancing up at Seto, he was staring straight ahead at the door- just like you. But the bags under his eyes seemed to be slightly better, and he wasn’t as pale as before…. That’s good.

“You’re strangely silent.” Seto pointed out, glancing down at you as you once again yawned- and teetered just a bit.

“Tired. Haven’t had enough coffee, or sleep.” You murmured, now that you thought about it- your vision’s been blurry since you stopped looking over those music sheets from the interview. What was it that Marrer had told you…? Get some proper sleep, you think. Seto sighed at you, trying to keep up with his hectic schedule was taking a toll on you. Even if it’s been only three days- the sudden change couldn’t have been good in regards to mental health.

You barely made it in the car before you fell asleep on the seats.

 

Waking up groggily, you grunted as you stretched outwards. Your bed was extremely soft this morning, softer than usual… Sitting up right in panic, you quickly looked around the room to find that you were in some sort of guest bedroom. The curtains to the large windows were shut, leaving you in the mild darkness with some light barely peeking through. What time was it, where were you? Eventually, you managed to find your phone on one of the nearby bed stands and practically dove for it. Nine, so said your smart phone. Your earbud was by your phone as well. Wait… This wasn’t even your shirt!

Pulling off the covers, you saw that you were in some sort of fluffy pajama bottoms- familiar from your apartment yes, but wore a larger white button down shirt. Had Seto put this on you? When did this happen?! Where were you?!

You stumbled to the guest door, and opened it- only to be greeted by a Mokuba mid knock. He looked you over once, seeing your bewilderment before chuckling softly.

“Morning, Medusa.” He commented, and you immediately knew that your hair was probably a mess.

“M-Mokuba… Am I in the Kaiba mansion?” You grumbled almost incoherently, thoroughly confused about anything. The younger brother sighed, and shook his head at you.

“You don’t remember anything? Apparently, you passed out in Seto’s limo last night, just straight up fell asleep in the car. He was going to drop you off at your apartment but there was a sketchy looking guy banging on the door, demanding to be let in. He had a paper bag with him, so he decided to bring you here. One of the maids changed your clothes into some pajamas she had, and one of Seto’s shirts.” Mokuba explained, crossing his arms.

That sketchy man… Probably some crazy drunk that was down the way. It wasn’t the first time it happened, and probably wouldn’t be the last either.

“This favor list is starting to add up…” You grumbled, resting your head against the door way as your head swam from the sudden movement. Mokuba laughed, and then gestured for you to follow.

“Come on, you want food don’t you? I know you don’t have a grasp on how this place twist and turns.” He suggested, as you nodded- rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you flattened down your hair. As the shirt fell, Mokuba noticed something very odd. There was some sort of black medical bracelet on your wrist… Meaning you were allergic to something life threatening.

“Hey. Let me see that.” Mokuba stated, and grabbed your wrist. You didn’t even fight back, just sighing as if it was a normal everyday thing. He flipped the medal over, and read what was engraved in it. Sulfa, Melatonin, and peanuts… It’s always the peanuts.

“When were you going to tell Seto this?” Mokuba asked, letting your arm go as he continued to show you to where the kitchen was. You shrugged nonchalantly, your bare feet hitting the wood floors softly. Though for some reason, you could hearing yelling as you two were getting closer to the ‘kitchen’ is what you presumed.

“He already knows. Hence why he’s so anal about having lunch with me. Seto’s actually pretty good about making sure that the sandwich and scones I have hadn’t come into contact with any peanuts whatsoever.” You explained, as you both took a right.

The “kitchen” was more like a hub, the kitchen just being part of it. Of course, you wouldn’t put it past Seto to set up a full area. Everything was top notch, and even you were impressed that everything was a dark ebony wood with surprisingly dark blue marble counterspace. It was easy for you to go past Mokuba who immediately went to the more ‘dining’ room of the area. You noticed that Seto wasn’t working for once… Which was extremely weird.

If anything, he was currently sitting at a low table in a comfy looking love seat. Across from him, was the spiky haired champion you had seen in many photographs. Each were looking super intense at each other- as the friends around them seemed to share the same anxiety, and seriousness.

Not wanting to interrupt what was going on, of the game that even you knew Seto was passionate about- you settled for brewing some coffee. You need some, especially if you were going to head into work today. Leaning back, yawning once more, on the marble island in the kitchen area- you phone suddenly began to ring.

Jumping, you picked it up and noticed it was Marrer calling.

“Hello…?” You asked, through your current yawn.

“Hey hun- I just wanted to let you know that those rough drafts you sent me sound great. No wonder Seto’s orchestra had a hard time. These are pieces that can easily win some awards. I hope you know that.” Marrer explained, making you smile through your weariness.

“Great. I’m glad you think that. I’ll be in work in an hour. I’ve just gotta figure out how to get there from Seto’s house.” You grumbled, hearing the conductor laugh on the other end.

“Hun- no expects you to come into work if Seto’s taking the day off.” Frowning at this statement, you turned back to see that the party of people behind you were still concentrating hard on the game. If anything, you could see that Seto already had his Blue Eyes out on the field with the Dragon Lord, and the Flute of Summoning in the graveyard… Duel Monsters. Of course.

“All the more reason I have to. The entire staff hates me, and if I take days off when Seto does- they’ll see me as lazy and self-conceited… Besides, I’ve got to find a new violin.” Sighing at Manchester’s destruction, you couldn’t help but feel even more down about it. You could hear Marrer hum in thought on the other end of the phone.

“…Alright, you have a fair point. At least now we can chop down the interviews today- Minu said he’d take the position as Violin 1 though. Which is another nice thing.” Marrer explained, and the coffee maker started beeping. You nodded to yourself on the phone, and stuffed in between your shoulder and your ear. Pulling out two glasses out from the cupboard up above, you poured a decent amount into a light blue one. As you favored the darker navy one.

“Marrer, could you do me a huge favor? I just realized something.” You noted, as you put creamer and three sugars in the light blue one. Plus, you searched the fridge for something in particular. You had noticed this when Seto was eating breakfast yesterday… It just seemed so fitting.

Thus, you weren’t surprised when you found a small caramel bottle shoved in the back of the fridge. Smiling internally, as you poured some into the coffee and put it back- you could hear Marrer hum in response.

“Could you start the chops without me? I’ve got to talk to the coders about the response time between when people enter or exit some areas. I know I don’t have to worry about the sound effects because those can be instantaneous set codes- but sometimes games can cut off certain pieces of a sound track due to a fade or a transition. It makes it easier on the programmers to time it within the frame so that the transitions are easier to put in.” You explained, as Marrer gave a confused grunt of acceptance.

“Little lady, no wonder Seto had an eye out for you. You sound like him.” Marrer gave a small laugh, and you turned with both cups in your hand to the game in the hub of the room.

“No. I’ve just been composing with gaming companies for a while. It’s stuff you just pick up. I promise you Marrer, I can’t program or create a game worth a penny.” Grumbling, you set down the light blue mug carefully next to Seto’s deck. He looked up at you, frowning as he did so. You glared at him back, and gestured to the mug of coffee. Suddenly, there were some small gasps- but what stood out to you the most was a blonde young man hollering at Seto in Japanese.

“Hey. I caused something dramatic to happen. I’ll call you later.” You quickly explained to Marrer, who was laughing hysterically as you hung up. You watched as this blonde was yelling at Seto with a smirk on his face. The young man with the spiky hair looking up at you with apologetic eyes.

You found Mokuba next to you quickly. He was smiling, at something you had just done for some reason.

“So… Jonouchi wants to know why Seto has a cute-ass girl in his house.” Mokuba paraphrased for you- as you sighed. No wonder you didn’t know what he was saying- your earbud wasn’t in your ear. You must’ve left it upstairs. Seto took his cup of coffee, and replied back in his native tongue.

“Seto says that you accepted his offer, and that you were working with him for a new game.” Mokuba once again paraphrased for you. This ‘Jonouchi’ character suddenly had a friend with a large brown spike made of hair tackle his around the shoulders. They both looked at you, as if analyzing you, dangerously close to your personal bubble.

“Hey Mokuba… Can you tell them that if they get any closer, I’ll splash coffee in their face?” You asked, turning your head to talk to him as you kept your eyes on them cautiously. Mokuba laughed as he translated for you, and immediately they scooted back- sprouting more nonsense that you couldn’t understand.

“They’re saying that you sound exactly like me.” Seto spoke up, taking a sip of his coffee. From the look of it, he seemed so much more relaxed- more into the game. It was nice, to see him away from work. You leaned on his love seat, taking a sip of your own coffee mug.

“Well. Marrer said that too. Is there somethin’ you ain’t tellin’ me again?” You joked, and gently bumped into the side of him. Seto’s face immediately shot up to yours, as that look of mild bewilderment was back. What? You weren’t allowed to joke around? Oh right, in this culture- PDA or ‘public displays of affection’ weren’t normal.

“Sorry. American side coming out.” You murmured, as you stood to go get ready for work. Not even looking back, you didn’t realize that Seto was contemplating wrapping his arm around your waist as he had done the day before.

 

Walking into work without Seto, made you feel extremely small. Luckily, since it was a Sunday, not many people were in the office- but the people that were there still glared at you. The feeling of malice and jealousy was still in the air. You ignored the insults spat at you in the gossip groups that they formed, and quickly reached Seto’s elevator. For once- you were glad there were perks to being his fiancé.

Though, personally you weren’t quite sure what to make of it. The only reason you had Seto, was because he took some ‘interest’ in you, and you weren’t even sure what ‘that’ was. He snapped at you, you argued with him, hell- you even had the audacity to complain about his orchestra, when most of the jobs you had taken wouldn’t even provide you a studio…

Is that what appealed to you about him though? You could say he was being ‘thoughtful’ or ‘caring’- but even you knew deep down it was just because he didn’t need the media reporting “Seto Kaiba- Womanizer just like his father!’. But then, what did that make you? The whore, who stole Seto Kaiba away from the world? The user, who just made Seto do whatever you needed?

Why did you even think that you could call Seto by his first name anyways?

Kaiba wasn’t in love with you, and you certainly weren’t in love with him. If anything, it was just a business deal- something to be gained out of it. For both of you, and for him it meant the media finally getting off his back. For you, it meant a job being done… That’s all this was, a job.

“Little lady? Why are you crying?”

Your head shot up, as you felt the tears fall from your eyes. In front of you, was Marrer- who was waiting for you on the fourteenth floor. When had that opened, and when did you reach the floor…? You smiled at him warmly, quickly wiping away your tears. Why were you crying?

“Just thinking of my broken violin. Sorry. Elevator rides, you know?” You lied, as Marrer sighed at you and gestured to your studio.

“Well, I found those coders for you. They’re waiting for you in the studio. I’d be careful though, one of them seems particularly… Nasty.” Marrer explained, before stepping into the elevator and hitting the lobby button. It shut behind you, as you took a deep breath. There wasn’t time to think about trivial things.

Just get the job done, you thought.

 

Opening the door to your studio- you were met with a _wall_ of heavy perfume. It almost nearly made you turn around and just leave the room. But you knew this had to be done.

‘Well. Isn’t it Ms. New Future Kaiba. Nice to meet you.’ A young woman turned around to face you from your studio chair. She seemed to dress the business part, but her tone and attitude certainly did not. This ‘woman’ lied to Marrer, and you could tell. Nothing about her screamed ‘coder’ but rather ‘business woman’. She spoke in fluent Japanese, as your earbud could easily translate it for you. Lovely.

You were about to pull out your microphone, to be able to talk to her calmly- but she raised her hand towards you. Telling you to wait.

‘I’m not going to stick around any longer then I need to in this dump. There’s no need for you to talk to me.’ More or so- she wasn’t going to let you talk. Maybe you should take up those Japanese lessons Kaiba wanted you to take. Just so you could cut this bitch off, nastily shoot her a rude comment, and see her out the door.

‘I just wanted to know what little pretty thing Seto courted this time. You really don’t seem like much. I highly doubt you’d ever be able to help him hold this company over.’ Sighing, there wasn’t anything you could do but cross your arms and look away. You really didn’t need this right now- all you wanted to do was work.

‘Allergic to peanuts… You’re even an invalid too.’ Snapping your head back to glare at her, you noticed she was looking at the medical bracelet Mokuba had flipped back. She snickered, before practically shoving you out of her way as she exited the studio. Fuming in anger, and mostly sadness, you slammed the door behind her and locked it.

Of course, she was one of three. A shareholder no less.

Sinking to the floor on the other side of the door, you pulled your knees up to you. This wasn’t your fault, none of this was. All you wanted to do was your job, but here you got stuck in this mess with Kaiba… Seto. You found yourself relishing in the name, your chest warming at the thought of his friendship… But it hurt. It hurt your chest in a bittersweet sadness that only described how far between this world he was from you. You had never loved him in the first place, but he was the only person who would treat you like a human being since you started this job… Only four days ago to boot.

How dare you be so selfish again…

 

Seto walked into his main building, just meaning to grab some documents he had forgotten yesterday. But was met with an atmosphere of dread, and fear… He knew that particular shareholder was here, and if you were here- nothing good could come from this. Speak of the devil, she was walking past Seto easily- as he wasn’t able to mistake that signature perfume for anyone else.

“Sorry, I just wanted to see how the company was doing. It look like you have a rat in the building.” She purred to him in Japanese, as Seto stood firm. His face unmoving and natural as she sighed and left with what seemed to be a spring in her step. Seto was just about to cross the foyer to his elevator before Marrer noticed that he was in the building.

“Oh, Seto!” Marrer called, walking next to Seto who hummed in notice. They both entered the elevator.

“She was crying this morning, when she got into the studio. I haven’t heard from her since.” Marrer suddenly sprouted, in the midst of the silence. Of course… Seto ground his fingers into his clenched fists. Nothing good ever came from that woman, and it was almost every day he wanted purge his staff of her infection. To take her off his shareholder list. Seto sighed, and pressed the stop button. The elevator halted on the fourteenth floor.

“Of course. She’s always been sensitive. It’s all thanks to that deep-rooted anxiety.” Seto grumbled to himself as he stormed out onto the floor. Being so late into the afternoon, Seto knew that you should’ve at least been getting ready to leave… He didn’t know what compelled him to pick you up like this. Perhaps it’s because you’ve been the only person not abuse what he had given you- not really by choice…

Seto had forced everything upon you, and then put you in this position himself.

He stopped right before your studio. Normally, he’d be a person who’d walk all over anyone who’d stood in his way. But here you were, someone who wouldn’t move at all… It had even shocked him that you somehow knew that he preferred caramel in his coffee. How you even knew how to make his coffee, when he could’ve easily had a maid do it appalled him on the inside… Would Seto ever tell you…?

Probably not.

Seto went to open the door, only to find that it was locked from the inside. He could hear soothing music inside the room, considering it was padded- that meant a design flaw and Seto would have to fix that later. However, with more concerning problems at the moment- Seto pulled a key out from his suitcase. Being a master key to the entire building, Seto probably could’ve used this yesterday but had forgotten in the moment.

Opening the door, he quietly looked inside to find something much more than Seto expected. Inside your own recording studio- you held a violin gingerly in your hands. The pad resting on your left shoulder, a bow in your right. You had pinned your hair back, taken off your shoes, and weren’t even staring at any sort of music… Your eyes were closed, with a pair of earbuds in.

Euphoria, that’s what your face conveyed. In a desperate attempt to gain some control over your situation, to Seto it obvious you had taken the day to write personal music. He set his brief case down to quietly sit at the sound board chair. Just watching you play over the strings. Had played a violin himself, Seto knew every tremble that was in each note.

Hearing you play, Seto could hear your worries. Your concerns, and your frustrations. You weren’t happy in the situation you were in, but you were trying to make the best of it. Closing his eyes, just to listen to your feelings lay bare- Seto found himself lucky that he knew how to play. Then he would’ve never heard this side of you. He’d probably never hear it, as Seto was invading on a private session.

You were frustrated about the staff- hence the deep, low minors Seto could hear within the chords and harmonies. Frustrated to be using a loner violin, as he could hear the bow scratching- unused to your movements, unused to the way you played. You didn’t even want to be his fiancé… You just wanted to pay back what he did for you, then move on.

But even still, Seto opened his eyes to see that you were using major chords. Representing the short amount of time you had spent with him. Light hearted, genuine, and honesty could be heard in your crescendos. The light touch, quick pricks seeing through his facade he normally held throughout the entire day… How you understood him, without having to ask questions. How you found a dear, close friend in four short days…

 

Abandonment.

 

Seto then realized, that was the horrible underlining feeling hiding behind that violin. Abandonment, loneliness, depression, anxiety. Everything that led up to the moment of Mokuba’s party, it just simply clicked for Seto. You had felt everything, abandoned by everything, and chose to continue on anyways.

Yet, he could tell that you trusted him.

A cold, heartless business man who wanted nothing but a potential suitor for the media. With every soft note falling upon Seto’s ears, he watched as you played your realization out before him. Knowing that everything was just a job, something impersonal that should be to the both of you.  But that even after the three weeks, and if the proposal continued on after that, you hoped to still be by his side.

To support him, to hopefully give him that friend that no one else wanted to be… Seto then cursed his ability to read music the way he did. Because, eventually- everyone wanted something from him. Hence why he always, always kept people a good distance away from inside his head. Seto was good at pushing people away, but for some reason- you just came right back.

Seto glanced around, wondering why you hadn’t left yet and noticed that all the music sheets were fresh. That they had just been written out, and it was new- the pencil marks across the sheets erased, or changed. You had been working on this piece all day- tired of hearing botched interviews and dinners with people who you would probably never meet again. Friends, who’d you probably never see again… How you’d probably never see him again.

It was a reality, that you desperately wanted to play out… To make sure it was there. To make sure it was true.

“…How did you get in here?” A soft, trembling voice came from behind him. Seto slowly turned around, sheet music in hand to find you standing at the recording room doorway.

“I have a master key to the entire building. Of course I can get in here.” He grumbled, putting the sheet music back on the sound board counter. You sighed, and moved past Seto to put the violin back in the case.

“Go figure. Mr. Boss has a key to everything.” You hissed, not meaning to put so much hatred behind it. Seto knew you didn’t mean it either, but he also knew you needed that release.

“It’s late. You need to leave.” Seto stated flatly, as you glanced back at him. You were contemplating arguing back with him, and it was something he was surprised that you didn’t do right away.

“…Alright.” You ended up settling for. Seto took a deep breath, he wasn’t ever very good at comforting others- as no one had ever taught him how. Following quietly behind Seto, you entered the elevator. He could feel the negative air just radiating off of you, stuck in a sludge of depression and mixed thoughts about the man next to you.

The elevator ride was silent.

The car ride was silent.

As you walked up to the door up to your apartment, you dare look back at the car that had driven you here. Only to discover that Seto was getting out to follow you. Frowning before unlocking the door, you stood in front of him.

“Go home, Kaiba. I don’t need you in my apartment.” You grumbled, your hair still in a messy bun. Seto just looked at you with a look of skepticism. Since when did you start calling him by his last name again? Had your thought process deteriorated that far down your rabbit hole…? He found himself slightly offended by it… But only slightly.

“Play with me.” He only demanded, and you looked at him with a look of distain… Mainly directed towards yourself.

“Excuse me? I’ll be damned if you’re a CEO of some fancy company, but God forbid- I will not play with you.” You snapped, opening the door to your place and set your things on the table next to the door. Seto followed you in, as he once again nearly tripped over the trombone case that you obviously just made a habit of avoiding.

“Play with me.” Seto once again requested out of you, watching as you kicked off your shoes and immediately went straight to the kitchen. He could hear the subtle rustling of sheet music as you cleared a spot on the table to sit and drink water. Following you into the kitchen, Seto put down his brief case and actually took off his shoes in front of you.

You took it as a sign that he wasn’t going to leave. Besides the inner turmoil you’ve been feeling all day, Seto was taking the time out of his busy schedule to consult you in his own ‘Kaiba’ way- and you resented it. How could he just make you feel this way, and continue to play you along like this was all going to continue after the job was over?

“…Fine.” You agreed begrudgingly, if he wanted to play so badly- playing with you is what Seto was going to get.

You stood up and cleared a spot off in the living room- pulling up some marshmallow looking stools. Bringing out two regular violins from your closet, you set one on the chair for him. Seto sat down, as you noticed he crossed his legs as he pulled out the violin from the case. You could tell, that he wasn’t lying about his ability to play- considering you had the same habit crossing your legs when you played sitting down as well.

Both of you took to the bows and strings normally, starting off with an easy major scale- to get used to the other’s sound. Now, to throw him off- if Seto was as good of a player as he boasted to be, you immediately launched into a small crescendo, and into a base melody… More specifically the melody you had been practicing all day.

He matched it, with a harmony of his own. Seto played chords you wouldn’t hadn’t even thought of, as he followed your strange melody with one passionate of his own. He too- didn’t know what to think of the situation he put you in. You could hear it, his guilt. The way he felt about forcing you into something that he wasn’t expecting to get anything out of. Seto’s light touch sent thoughts of how he enjoyed your company in his own right.

He wanted your forgiveness. To understand you. To let you know, that even after all of this was over… He would never leave. Never stop being your friend.

You matched it with a somber tone of your own, opening your abandonment issues- your depression, your anxiety. His light heartedness turned to one of compassion. Seto knew how you felt, as he had felt it too. He knew, out of all people, what it felt like to be truly _alone_. He didn’t want you to feel that way, as that’s what he wished for himself. Seto’s melody grew louder, more confident, as you couldn’t help but glance over.

Seto was completely focused, and it struck you as odd. It caused your playing to slow into a drawl, a mesmerized melodic conversation that you two were having… A conversation that only you could have with him. He was so passionate, the light and fire in his eyes completely there- enlightening those dark blue orbs with a fire that you had only seen this morning. When he was dueling his friends.

He found you inspiring. Passionate about your work, and what you do… You could hear it in his major chords, as he fought against your somber ones. Seto fought the hardest, and you could tell just by his playing alone… He didn’t want you to fall into that rabbit hole any deeper.

You didn’t know what to make of it, not only did he speak on your terms- but he was _winning._ Winning, was something you assumed he set a goal out to do. But not like this- Seto was trying to make sure in his own “Kaiba” way, that you were alright. That he could leave here, and you would show up to work with him the next morning.

He wanted to make sure you would go back to Marrer, to go and listen to more botched interviews- to finish that orchestra you promised you’d build for him. Seto wanted to make sure that you knew- that no matter what the staff said, what the staff did, he would be that friend that would never leave…

It only served to make you treasure Seto’s presence more…


	6. Snow

It was later that evening, that Seto decided to stay after work and you two were sharing a box of your favorite take-out sushi. Ah… Sushi. The delicate slice of salmon, the thickness of the sugar rice… The pure elegance of the taste, it wasn’t something you could ever get tired of. Not to mention all the banzi rolls, and dragon rolls with unagi that came with it. Ah… Sushi.

“I would’ve figured there’d be some sort of peanut product in this.” Seto warily poked at his teriyaki with his chopsticks, wondering if it was going to move it seemed. You couldn’t help but smile warmly at this. Here, a millionaire who could’ve easily brought a sushi chef to you house was eating your type of food.

“Not enough to send me to the hospital. They’re the only sushi place that actually uses a separate board for me and makes everything fresh. It’s absolutely sublime.” Smiling, you took another bite into the dragon roll- groaning in food induced pleasure as you chewed. Seto sighed, as he resigned his momentary cautiousness to take a small bite of his pork. He chewed thoroughly, checking for any mishaps- only to find none that stood out to him. Seto swallowed, and then picked up another piece. You watched happily as he took another bite, finally deciding that the teriyaki was worthy of being chewed by Seto Kaiba.

“Do you want to stay at my place tonight?” Seto asked lightly through bites. While you gave it some thought, you weren’t quite sure if you should. Yes, the bed that you slept in was soft- but nothing beat home… Your home. But you did still have to finish organizing Seto’s office, and no doubt you’d need to do some research of finding another violin worthy of Manchester. He would probably know some really good shops… Since the evening was early, you settled for some music shopping.

“Only if you show me the best music spots in the city.” You challenged, as Seto raised an eyebrow at you. He wasn’t too thrilled about taking you into the city, considering what happened last time. Seto was about to answer, before suddenly someone began to bang at the door.

“’Ey kno-ow you’re in there princess~ Come ou- Let me at ya’!!” Words slurred, as you peeked into the hallway as to see that the door was locked. That your trombone was in place. Sighing, the drunk man at the door again put a stop to the plans you were trying to make with your potential new friend. Though, said new friend wasn’t quite happy about the drunk at the door, as Seto reached into one of his jacket pockets and pulled out his smart phone.

_‘Hey. Yes, I’m still at her house. There’s a drunk at the door. Evict him, and arrest him for harassment and invading private property. Whose? Seto Kaiba.’_ Your earbud translated for you, as you really were now kicking yourself for not taking those lesions… Maybe that’s what you should start on tonight. Incase ‘Shareholder Bitch’- the new nickname you just now gave her- decided to take another visit to your humble abode at work.

But, it didn’t take long to hear the drunk being arrested- and evicted out of the house in the same sentence. It reminded you mildly, how powerful Seto really was in this city… To be able to remove people like that at the drop of a dime was impressive. His face gave off a vibe of superiority, confidence, and mild amusement.

“You’re horrible.” Huffing, you took another bite out of your sushi as Seto raised an eyebrow at you. At this point, he could presume as to why you didn’t say thank you- rather than admitting that what he did was kind… It was ‘your’ way of saying that you appreciated what he just did. Seto found it rather charming, annoying, yet individually you just being yourself.

“I wouldn’t rather be anything but.” Seto shot back at you, seeing you smile again. Negativity wasn’t pouring out of you as it was earlier, which told him that you were doing significantly better. That was good. As for you, it couldn’t be helped as you watched his eyes dance with the passion and the fire that remained there. Seto was invested, interested, and he wanted to know more. More about you, more about your relationship to him… To ease that anxiety, and that depression just a little more than anyone else.

You were just a little happy that those passionate eyes were about you.

 

Back in the limo- it had been decided to head back to Seto’s mansion. This time, you brought along a pair of pajamas, tomorrow’s work clothes, and a violin that would be permanently kept at the Kaiba residence. While Seto had insisted he had plenty of his own, you made the fine point of ‘it wouldn’t sound the same as yours’. He, of course, understood this- considering that the violin Seto played at your house wasn’t anything compared to the sound of his.

Pulling up to the front, you grabbed your overnight bag and the violin- only to see that those group of friends were still at the mansion and proceeded to call to Seto. He frowned at them, obviously it wasn’t planned that they would still be there… But hey, they were his friends- and you didn’t want to get in the way of that.

The butler, Jin, came up to you- offering to take your bags by speaking a Japanese phrase. Then asked you to repeat it back.

_‘Yes, you may take it.’_ Was all the simple sentence meant, but by all means it rolled off your tongue immensely weird. But you ended up missing a couple syllables, and Jin shook his head. He repeated it slower for you, and you ended up standing there- repeating the sentence over and over until Jin was satisfied. He gave a polite nod. Before asking you in Japanese-

_‘Would you like me to take those for you?’_ As your earbud translated, and then you suddenly understood very few of the syllables used in the simple phrase. But- you took a deep breath and sighed.

_‘Yes, you may take it.’_ You hoped to Gods that it was somewhat correct. Jin nodded in a satisfactory agreement, as you added a small polite ‘Arigato’ afterwards. Jin held up his hand, and repeated back a different phrase that meant ‘ _Thank you.’_ in a different context. Then proceeded to explain to you the different types of endings in phrases that changed depending on the circumstance.

So you changed the context, and Jin once again nodded in acceptance. He took your bags from you politely, but left the violin in your hands- just in case… So Jin said. But your head was already swimming in gunk from that small interaction. Seto, while chatting with his still ever-present friends, smirked- watching you struggle with his native tongue.

Mokuba was waiting for you inside, a large smile on his face. Seeing you return today, meant that good things were to come. Not just for you, but for Seto too. While yes, the older brother had his circle of friends- the Kaiba had never actually had a potential suitor _fit_ into those friends. You managed to sneak by, hoping to avoid Jonouchi once more, only to bump into Mokuba with ease.

“We’ve seriously gotta stop meeting each other like this.” He teased, as you were just about to reach into your violin case for your bow. You looked up, seeing that it was the younger brother and sighed in defeat.

“It’s never gonna change, less you move.” Grumbling, you weren’t quite sure what to do at this point. You didn’t play Duel Monsters, and while yes- you had worked on the sound track for the new app Duel Links that had just came out a few months ago- it still remained a forever confusing mess of cards to your mind. Mokuba watched your inner confusion, and then decided that he knew exactly what he was curious about.

“How good are you at video games?”

 

Jin jumped on that band wagon, as throughout the night- you and Mokuba were in the kitchen playing all sorts of games. Some fighter, some racing, and surprisingly a musical rock game that for some reason you took to with no problem. But Jin would intersect at random times- teaching you how to say certain phrases, and repeat them back. Instead of teaching you the basics and simple contexts like most lessons you took- Jin pointed out basic conversation skills. So, eventually you got so frustrated about having to focus on two things at once- you settled for simply listening to Mokuba play with Jin interjecting once and a while.

Seto was playing Duel Monsters in the back ground, as surprisingly due to Jin’s rapid lessons you could already understand some- mind you, very little- of the conversation. Between Mokuba swearing in his native tongue, and the other brother kicking Jonouchi’s butt down to what you could assume to be half of whatever point system they used… You could at least say that your internal metronome was beating steadily.

It was a comfortable chaos.

Then of course, Jin interjected your thoughts again.

_‘I would like to enjoy your company tonight.’_ Without your earbud in- it made it significantly easier to understand.

_‘I would like to also- where would you like to go?’_ You repeated fluently, and Jin nodded at your progress in the matter of three hours. Your frustration knew no bounds, and it only served to make your words more slurred. But, Jin was also surprised about your ability to pick up any sort of language immensely fast. Probably due to being in Japan, and being exposed to the language early.

_‘Are you done…Seto… Night?’_ You picked up some of the conversation in between the simple conversation. Was Seto already done playing? Considering this was his favorite game, and that the spiked hair champion wasn’t playing- so Seto was plowing through everyone… It did make sense, considering that it was almost midnight.

_‘Preferably… I don’t find… Entertaining…’_ Then of course, you strained to hear what Seto was muttering- as he stood and put his deck away. Even Seto was in a pair of black sweats and a tight black shirt… Wow- the CEO was human too. You yawned yourself, checking your phone seeing the time. Having to go back to work tomorrow was going to be exciting- as the orchestra was put together by Marrer today.

Jin could even see himself that you were beginning to lose focus, and decided it was that a good place to stop.

_‘Good night, Kaiba-san.’_ He stated, as you nodded.

_‘Good night, Jin-chan.’_ You repeated back, and Jin was impressed you even added the ‘friend’ context to his title. To the butler, it meant a lot- considering any other suitor would just dismiss him without a second thought.

 

After everyone had shuffled out the door, you stood at the door way- watching everyone leave for the night. A hand tapped your shoulder, as you glanced over to see Seto standing next to you. He offered you a cup of tea, in the dark blue mug you had used that morning. Taking it, you could feel the warmth in your hands in the cool air. Both of you sat on the first step of the mansion… There wasn’t really anything you could say to him. After earlier that evening, everything was laid out bare. Nothing to hide anymore… Besides the growing anxiety of the shoes that you would eventually have to fill.

Your face must’ve frowned, as Seto nudged you with his elbow. It dug you out of your thoughts immediately, and to the man next to you. God- he had already done so much for a stranger, already put so much effort into someone he might not find useful in the future. Someone like you really didn’t deserve to sit there-

“Stop it.” Came his caramel voice. It soothed over you, quieting the waves of doubt inside of you momentarily.

“Why me?” You could only ask, taking a small sip of your tea. It was unsurprisingly sweet, and had a faint taste of the caramel that matched Seto’s voice. Sweet, salty, but all the same a taste that you could never get tired of.

“Why not?” Seto only replied, thankfully in English. Your head already hurt from the many things you had to focus on that night.

“I don’t know… I’ve caused a lot of problems for you. Isn’t that annoying?” You could only ask, curious about what the other three may have caused in drama and inconvenience to Seto’s life. This wasn’t his first rodeo, and certainly wouldn’t be his last. But, it was your first, and while yes- you had previous boyfriends… Nothing compared to Seto. As it should be.

“Not as annoying as having to extend deadline another week.” Seto grumbled, pulling out his smart phone from his sweats and checking a few emails. You were surprised that it wasn’t a computer for once. That thing appeared out of no-where.

“Extending it? Since when did you extend deadlines? The music is on schedule- so don’t let me be the one holding you back.” You stated, as Seto shook his head- still scanning his emails till finally he tapped on one. Once again, you were surprised he turned the phone to show you. Thankfully, it was from the American branch- but more importantly it read:

_‘Mr. Kaiba it is our most sincere regret to inform you that the game you created will not be able to be fully announced in North America till a week after the official release into public. Due to copyright laws, shipping schedules, and consumer demand- the game won’t arrive in the United States until the following week after PAX West, and PAX East._

_Thank you for your patience,_

_Frank Smith CEO NA Gaming Experiences’_

“A wait for PAX West, and East? What a load of shit.” You grumbled, Seto taking the phone back after you finished reading it. Both PAXs’ were going on right now, one week after another- so it wouldn’t be too much of a problem extending the deadline a week… But Seto _never_ settled. Never once- had you seen this tyrannical boss _settle_ for anything.

“I couldn’t agree more. This game is premiering this weekend regardless. Considering that you already have created all the music for the Demo- the schedule is still on for what it was planned…” Seto trailed off, in his own thoughts and furiously typing away on his smart phone. Most likely arguing with ‘Frank Smith’ about the nonsense he was going on about. You settled for staring at the dark sky, sipping on your tea quietly.

“…Who is that shareholder? The female one?” You finally asked, hearing Seto’s soft typing stop. It was a bold question indeed- and since it was just you two awake- you figured that there wasn’t any time better to ask then now. You could hear him take a deep breath.

“Considering what she did to you yesterday- I assume it’s only fair that you know.” He murmured, putting his smart phone on the stair step momentarily. You sighed, taking a small sip of the tea.

“But- only if I get answers when I ask my questions.” Seto bargained. Of course, none of his information came without some sort of price. Negotiations. That was how Seto made a living.

“Fine. Deal.” Grumbling, you turned your cold feet inwards to warm them in the legs of your fluffy pajamas. You didn’t even have to look at Seto to know that there was a smirk on his face.

“Her name is Saiku Tesunga. Tesunga was a rich business woman who had climbed her way into many logistics and politics. Her name alone, made a lot of companies reputation’s spike… So, logically- it made sense to make her a shareholder to the Kaiba name. Then, as usual, she began to make changes fitting her to my business. Changes that I didn’t agree with. But, she purposed that we make a deal about announcing to the media that we were engaged.” Seto rolled over his English slowly, thinking out every word carefully. You simply listened, not wanting to interrupt what little information he was offering you. It wasn’t every day you could just listen to a closed off man open up about his mistakes… It was indeed, very rare- something you didn’t want to take for granted.

“It worked, for a while. Eventually, she became power hungry- just like every corrupt partner. Changing things behind my back, with no permission… Next thing I knew, the company wasn’t even my own somehow. So- the deal was cut off. I vowed, never to let a woman gain that much power over me again.” Seto grumbled, gritting his teeth. You glanced over, seeing a lot of anger in such an even face. It gave you chills.

“…I’m not that type of person I hope.” You murmured, as Seto scoffed at your self-pity. It was obvious to him, that you were far different then Saiku. But he wasn’t quite sure if you knew that, or if you had the self-confidence he shared with most of the business people Seto surrounded himself with.

But during the silence between the thoughts, a small white puff drifted down from the sky- landing on the back of your palm. It melted upon contact, making you frown and look up. The stars that were once there, were gone. With the clouds that replaced it, came the same white puffs falling down from the sky.

“Never seen snow before?” Seto’s question broke your concentration, as some of the puffs landed in his hair- melting on contact with his body. His icy blue eyes never seemed more calm in that moment.

“Uh… Um… Is that what this stuff is called?” You asked, feeling stupid for not knowing where this was. Being from the more southern states- more or so near Arizona… This so called ‘Snow’ was non-existent. However, your self-consciousness was then drawn away with something much more amazing.

 

Seto laughed.

 

It wasn’t the confident laugh that he gave when winning over some of his opponents, or the laugh of the public face you’ve seen… It was a small, inward laugh that melted your insides at its sincerity. The sound, was absolutely beautiful. You felt your metronome stop, gently and just listened to the rarity of this moment he chose to share with you.

“Yes. It’s called snow.” Seto sighed, fingering the cup of tea in his hands. He took a small sip through a smile, as you couldn’t help but smile along. Watching the snow fall around you two, and the silence that followed. The small pitter patter of the snowflakes hitting the steps, covering the hedges, covering the drive way.

Seto extended his legs, letting them rest on the front of the porch- as his eyes watched the snow fall blankly. You could see it, how he was contemplating memories… Or more specifically, ‘When was the last time I saw the snow fall like this?’ is what his feelings conveyed. How his shallow breaths were replaying memories long, long forgotten. Or how you saw his knuckles turn white as he gripped the side of his cup…

You weren’t even sure of what you were thinking at the moment.

You weren’t even sure, when your hand had reached out to touch his. It caused Seto to freeze, feeling your warm fingertips brush against the back of his hand. He looked down at it, and slowly followed it up to your face. Your eyes had a sense of understanding, a look Seto had given you yesterday. Your face one of calm, your breathing evened out… It pulled him out of his rabbit hole.

“Don’t go down that path… Not unless we need to play for your sake.” You murmured, rubbing the knuckle of your index finger against the ridges of his hand. His skin was callused, but smooth… It had been hit before- you could recognize the ridges. Seto exhaled, as you took it as your sign to pull away. Leaving a tingling warmth lingering on the back of his hand.

“I’m not as stupid as you.” He shot back, stinging force behind the statement. Though it washed over you, it wasn’t an insult- nor a joke. Just something that Seto naturally did. There was a small layer of snow on the ground at this point, the cold inviting and swirling around the mansion at this point. Lights from the numerous windows glowed upon the white ground, giving the area around you a surreal glow… Surprisingly, it was comforting to you.

“As if you would ever stoop down to my level of stupidity then.” Bantering back, you fingered the handle of your tea mug. The dark blue now somewhat green in the yellow glow of the lights. When had your life become this? So used to insults, and bantering with a man who wanted nothing to do with you…

“What do you use me for Seto?” You murmured, turning your head just barely so that you blankly stared at his knees. There wasn’t a good answer he could give you, to a question like that. Not looking for the truth in the matter, you were just plainly curious. There were plenty of good woman, plenty of reproable general managers and famous models… But here you were, sitting on the infamous marble steps. With Seto Kaiba himself… Watching snow fall, for the first time.

“Publicity. So that way I stop getting calls from all my cliental recommending some sort of figure to go out on a date with. I don’t date.” Seto bluntly stated, and you nodded. It wasn’t something that would’ve shocked you, but still… The air was sucked right out of your chest, at the blunt truth of it.

Though, he wasn’t sure what to think of it- when Seto saw you put that mug down and step into the snow that wasn’t on the stairs. Since they had been covered by the balcony above, the snow had just been out of reach… Under your bare feet, the chill seeped into your bones causing shivers to go up your spine.

But it wasn’t as bad of a feeling as you thought it would be. Letting the flakes fall on your face, you could feel them melt as you gave a small sigh. What were you doing out here? Leaving Seto all alone, on that staircase. He watched you cautiously, in case you were to try anything that he morally wouldn’t agree with. But Seto watched you stand there, till suddenly you just let yourself fall back into the snow.

Landing with a small poof of snow falling around you, staring at the blank grey sky- unblinking as you did. Seto wasn’t quite sure what to make of your reaction to his truth… But it was certainly milder than the one you had earlier that day.

“Get inside. You’re going to catch a cold.” He called, from the steps of the mansion.

“No.” Met with a blunt rejection, Seto stood as he too set his mug next to yours. He followed you all the way out to where you fell and stood over you. Blocking the snow. You stared up at him, and couldn’t help but admire the view. His bangs were finally out of the way, and you could see his face fully. Seto truly was a sight to behold- if you loved him that was.

He held out a hand to you, offering it as a way for you to stand. Seto had barely any time to react as suddenly his hand was grabbed and pulled downward. You swung him above you, as he landed with a solid thud on the ground next to your body. Somehow his head landing directly on your chest.

You could hear Seto’s heavy breathing, his mild panic- and how he was utterly confused as to _how_ you continued to stand in his way. Everything you did, was defiant and free willed. Nothing was ever anything he expected out of you. And there, you had done it again. That physical warmth in the back of his head, your gentle breathing… Your heartbeat, so close to his ear.

But the snow falling, brought Seto back to when he was first in the orphanage with Mokuba. That night, with barely any warmth as the two of them had huddled together. But nothing, nothing compared to that night when the snow first fell in Domino City. There had been so emotion in that one memory, as it was that night that Seto had vowed to get the two of them out of there at all costs… Then, there was you.

Of course, there was the no doubted soreness in his back that would ache him tomorrow. But the tranquility of the situation, how someone he barely knew had somehow gotten themselves so much closer than _anyone_ he had ever met. A relationship that meant so much more, that rivaled his and Mokuba’s. But Seto looked up at you, seeing your eyes closed as you felt his weight, and the weight of the flakes gently falling on your skin. Your hands folded across your chest, just barely touching his head. The rhythmic breathing, as your internal metronome beat faster than any moment before he had heard before. Your body, naturally reacting to someone so close- but to you… So far. So unreachable… Unknown to you, Seto was beginning to realize- he was cherishing these moments… Far too much.

 

Content. Content with the moment, with the situation… With him. With Seto alone, just like this.

 

Seto stayed there, watching you till he heard your breathing even out. Somehow, just as the crazy person you were, you had managed to fall asleep out in the bitter cold. To the rhythm of the snowflakes falling, to his breathing, and eventually- he quietly moved. A small layer of snow had covered the both of you at that point, and Seto dusted it off gently. His hands found themselves underneath your back, and your knees. Picking you up, Seto found that your warmth was now more than welcome.

He was also pleased, to find that Jin had come out when he wasn’t looking to grab the mugs and his phone. Probably back in his office, as Seto walked inside with you asleep in his arms. Surprisingly light, he trudged up the stairs with ease as Seto was about to walk to your guest room before you ended up murmuring some nonsense in your sleep.

“No… I don’t want to do obo… The reeds feel weird…” Murmuring, you buried your head into his chest- unaware of what you did internally to the CEO. Sighing at the warmth, you returned back to your peaceful sleep in Seto’s arms. He stood there, watching you blather on about instruments you hated playing. Till he decided to head the other way, towards his office and away from your room…

 

_‘What do you mean…? I’ll never be able to play again?’ The hospital room suddenly seemed so much more daunting. The doctor stood next to you, showing an x-ray of your brain. There were certain parts that were a little blacker then the others._

_‘See here, is where your motor skills are controlled within this lobe. Because of the allergic reaction and the unpredicted seizure that came with it- it caused your molecular motor skills to die in your right hand… Even through extensive physical therapy, you will never be able to play the same way again.’ Ah… This conversation. Again. You could only numbly listen, as this memory played out in your dreams once more. It had become such a routine at this point, the sheer shock never became worse… Nor the pain that you could remember coming with losing something that meant the world to you._

_‘Fine! I’ll learn to play with my other hand, and will go through therapy to learn how to hold the bow once more!’ You had declared. Your partner, at the time, shook his head._

_‘You aren’t the Lioness anymore! You can’t play. It’s best that we move on.’ Words, so disheartening, so darkening… But if it meant you could play- then by Gods, you would do it. If you couldn’t play with your own hands, then at least you could write music._

_‘I don’t care, Victor. I will play again.’_

Light poured through the windows, bleak grey light shining on the bed. As it caused your eyes to open up, and grimace at the sudden change. Groaning, you pulled up the sheets over your head- feeling the familiar morning ache in your right hand.

“Get up. We’re going to work today.” That familiar caramel voice pulled you out of your thoughts, as you sat up in bed slowly. Watching Seto pull on the tight black shirt, pulling the locket out of from underneath. You looked around, blinking groggily and rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

The room itself, was contrast to the house. With walls painted a darker blue, the carpeted floors were covered with cases- unmistakably Duel Monster cards filling them. A small desk was near the large balcony windows that would open if you pushed them. But you were more surprised to see more snow then you were expecting from last night… Wait. Where were you? Glancing around, you saw Seto pull out a dark teal trench coat from one of the closets. Your work clothes laid out on the bed by your feet…

“Seto…?” You could only manage, your voice hoarse. He glanced back at you, and gestured to another door in the room.

“Bathroom’s over there.” He bluntly answered, avoiding your confusion annoyingly.

“Seto! I’m in your bedroom aren’t I?!” You gasped, and scrambled out of his bed… It smelled so much like him, and why weren’t you bothered by it? By Gods, why weren’t you bothered by this entire situation?!

“So what? You are my fiancé after all.” He once again, bluntly pointed out. You couldn’t help but feel rather awkward about everything, as you weren’t quite sure what to do. But, trying to make the best out of the situation- you went to pick up your clothes… Only to fall to the floor as your right hand suddenly stopped moving.

If anything, you couldn’t bend it at all. None of the joints… Sighing, you bent down to pick everything up, only to find Seto’s slender fingers already handing your clothes back to you. He watched as you stared at your right hand- unwilling to move.

“…It’s because of the cold.” Seto murmured, as he laid a warm gel pack on the hand. You could feel some joints beginning to ache, and wake up… But how long, had it been since your hand froze up like that?

“Lets go. I don’t want to be late for work.” His voice demanded, from his door way. You could barely hold back your frustration, and tears. Here you thought you had gotten over this- and it was at this point, you thought Seto would call you an invalid, and change his mind…

Still- he treated you like a normal human being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to get into the thick of the story! Some back ground to some characters, and finally! Some fluff that brings these two together. Thank you, to everyone who leaves comments (good or bad- I know I'm not that good a writer) I love reading each one of them! 
> 
> Thank you, for reading as always!  
> -Zavier001
> 
> P.S. If you're curious about what I listened to for this chapter, it was "Most Beautiful Music Ever. "Everdream" by Epic Soul Factory" uploaded by HDSounDI.


	7. Nameless Feelings

You were just about to head out the door, before suddenly sneezing loudly. It was an ugly sneeze, as snot came flying out- something that you weren’t expecting. Thank Gods, for Jin- as he handed you a tissue out of nowhere. Wiping your face, your hand, and blowing your nose- Seto looked utterly disgusted by you.

“Oh shut it pretty boy. I sneeze like a man.” You grumbled, sucking in what remaining snot remained in your nose. Jin shook his head at you, before quickly feeling your forehead. The sudden action caused you to snap your head away, and caused the world to spin around you. Quickly. Stumbling into the wall, you had to take a deep breath.

“Sir, she has a fever. Probably from being outside in the cold last night.” Jin reported, as you hissed at his betrayal. Seto raised an eyebrow at you, and noticing that he was slightly stiff- you wondered if he was sore from last night as well… From you flipping him into the snow of course. Then, of course your train of thought got away from you- what would something intimate be like with Seto? Was he strong underneath all those clothes?

Your cheeks became ablaze with heat, and luckily it was able to be covered with the excuse of your so called ‘fever’.

But, Seto sighed and turned to you- gesturing for Jin to hand you something. Once again, magic was at work as Jin handed you a lap top with the infamous KC in the center. It was black, so the logo contrasted it. You took it gingerly, and then the magical butler also produced a launch pad and a stack of musical sheet paper… What a man. What a gentleman. You could kill for a butler like Jin.

“Wh-ait… What’s goin’ on?” You managed to say, your stuffy nose clogging your speech. Seto sighed, pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Marrer reported to me this morning that the orchestra is complete, and they will be rehearsing today. Use the skype, _while in bed,_ to listen and Marrer will be able to tell who to do what for you.” Seto commanded- there was no room for negotiation. But, all of your work was at home- and you weren’t willing to stay in the mansion where your ‘flu’ germs could contaminate the place. However, the steel look Seto was giving you didn’t leave _anything_ to be discussed.

“Stay. Here.” Then, the door shut after him. Mokuba came from around the corner, his floofed hair already ten times larger than normal. Rubbing his eyes with his hand, he yawned before getting a good look at who was standing in his doorway. Mokuba was confused, and was opening his mouth before you sneezed again- using the tissue to control the ever present snot.

All of his questions were answered in that sneeze. Mokuba couldn’t help but laugh at your misery- knowing full well that Seto wasn’t letting you go to work. Perhaps, it was to get more work done- now that he was a day behind on everything with his own personal agenda. Or since there was no argument from you, it was a Seto-sort-of ‘Olive Branch’ as to repay for the chaos you went through last night.

 

Jin- as you had said before- was the best damn butler, and now at this point you were wondering what the fee for hiring the man would be. Back in the kitchen hub, he set you up with a thick fuzzy blanket on the couch. Set up the computer on the low table, the same one that Seto played the duel on, and opened it up. Even gave you a cup of chicken broth in the dark blue mug, and turned on skype on the computer.

_‘When you’re ready to start, let me know.’_ Jin spoke slowly in Japanese. Causing you to groan in frustration.

_‘I have no time.’_ You barely managed to recite, sniffling as you did. Jin gave you a smile, before one of the other maids came in. They offered you a platter of breakfast items, as you spied one that had some sort of cashew... Peanuts. 

_'Ma'am- I'm allergic to peanuts. If you could wash your hands thoroughly, and just cook me some eggs; that'd be perfect.'_ You slowly spoke, making sure to run over your prefixes correctly. Jin nodded in approval as the maid gasped in realization.  She began to bow and apologize fiercely as you could barely manage to stop her. But more importantly, you touched her shoulder softly and pointed to your bracelet. Flipping it over, the staff of the house present glance at it- making sure to commit it to memory if you were to stay any longer. 

They scurried off, as the maid who offered you the platter quickly threw it on the counter and began to wash her hands. You gestured for Jin to come over to you. 

"Hey Jin... If you could- those breakfast items were still perfect. Could you send them to the fourteenth floor in the Kaiba Corp. Main building for those poor coders? I doubt they drink anything but coffee." You murmured, as it took Jin a moment to process what you just suggested. Normally- any person would be okay with throwing items like that away. As it never really mattered. 

"Or Jin? Had any of the maids eaten yet?" You asked politely, reaching over for the computer and pulled it in your lap. Typing out a few commands, you began to surf the internet. Glancing upwards, Jin shook his head respectfully. 

"Then please. Eat them for my sake. That's an order- as the apparent 'mistress of the house'." Sighing, Jin awkwardly bowed in respect to you, before walking over to tell the current staff what you had offered them. While yes- Seto made sure his personal staff was well paid, fed, and taken care of; Jin had never seen a mistress in this household who would rather feed the staff, or feed the co-workers who hated her.

Giving a grunt, Mokuba piled next to you with a cup of hot chocolate watching you pull up skype and the video feed began to ring. Eventually, the video call was answered as a young man with dark blue hair was staring into the camera. He was muttering in Chinese, as his green eyes peered and the video veered.

“Oh, crap… Subtitles… Subtitles…” You huffed, as you clicked the button. It seemed as if the young man was muttering about how to put together the computer.

“Minu? Minu, can you understand me? Did you get that earbud?” You asked, as Minu’s large face shot up at you. His eyes widened, as Minu’s hand went to his ear.

_‘I can understand you! This is amazing!’_ Or, so said the subtitles. You smiled back, as you shifted the mug into your left hand. Stretching the joints in your right, Mokuba looked at you weirdly as Minu finally fixed the camera. Suddenly, the video feeder fell off what you presumed the judges table as you watched the subtitles fill with mild profanities, cursing the technology.

_‘Son of a- this is why I don’t do cameras! Mister Marrer, could you help me with this?!’_ Poor Minu, was having the hardest time of his life. You couldn’t help but laugh, as Mokuba was now thoroughly confused. It was too early in the morning for this, and he wasn’t exactly the nicest morning person.

“Care to elaborate, why you’re here and why you’re watching a kid fumble with a camera? Something you’re not telling me?!” Mokuba hissed, stealing the laptop. You slapped him for his scandalous thoughts, and was about to reach for it before Mokuba harshly grabbed your right hand in a flurry to defend the lap top.

 

Pain shot up from every nerve, as your first reaction was to splash the lukewarm broth in his face and scramble off the couch. You groaned in pain, curling around the joint as you glanced up at Mokuba. He was still in shock, not even caring that he now smelled like chicken.

“Hey, everything over there okay?” You could hear Marrer ask, as Mokuba only shut the lap top. He was still staring at you with caution, as the younger brother slowly came over to you on his knees. You held up your left hand, telling him to come no closer. Pulling your knees up to your chest to put pressure on the throbbing joint, you could tell that the stiffness would now linger for the rest of the week.

“Y-You’re fine… Just… Get me a warm pack, or something… Just go bother Jin.” You murmured, as Mokuba basically skirted across the floor. Shouting for Jin in Japanese. The last time you had felt this pain was during physical therapy. Mokuba took a sliding dive on the wooden floor as he gestured for your hand.

Pulling it was the easy part, opening it was the hard part. You could see veins beginning to bulge where the muscles were contorting, and your fingers were beginning to curl in involuntarily. Mokuba physically winced, seeing your hand curl and the muscles twitch. He hissed in psychological pain, as he began to slowly pry each finger open. You grunted in pain, biting on the sleeve of your work shirt as eventually Mokuba managed to wrap a warm cloth around it.

“Shit… I’m so sorry… I didn’t know.” Mokuba murmured, having to think for two moments and offer his apology in English. He was in shock, and you figured his extreme reaction was due to something like this happening in the past. Considering how fast Mokuba took care of you, and how Seto took care of you- it frustrated you… Shit, you hated people taking care of your well being- you could take care of yourself.

“You’re fine… It was an accident. Sorry about splashing chicken broth all over you, and the couch… Ah, damn… I just cause a mess where ever I go. Now the maids have to clean that up.” Your self-insults continued, badgering yourself for being so weak. For causing more messes. Mokuba couldn’t help but fall silent as he watched you flex your fingers slowly in and out.

“You sound so much like my brother.” Mokuba murmured, as you glanced up at him.

“I apparently get that a lot.” Your voice barely above a whisper, as you saw some of the maids wiping down the chair, and cleaning up the blanket… You noticed some dark blue shards scattered about the floor.

_‘I can get that.’_ You called, as the maids looked up at you. They gave you a heartwarming smile, and then returned back to their work. Giving you that silent ‘No need.’ Gesture with their body language.

“No, I’m dead serious. There were times Seto would badger himself for messes he got me into when we were kids. He blames himself for what happened to me, and what he had to do with Gozaburo.” Mokuba explained, a somber look on his face. It could easily tell you, and as the rest of the world knew, Gozaburo wasn’t exactly the… Nicest person on the planet. When he was alive that was.

“Well… He cares a lot about you. The company, and everything he does. That’s part of his charm I guess… Seto’s passion.” You shrugged, as Mokuba cheekily smirked at you.

“His ‘charm’- huh? You aren’t falling for my brother are you?” Mokuba poked your side, his snarky comment earning a small slap on his left arm.

“Fuck no! Your brother is a narcissistic ass who wants nothing more to do with me then a publicity stunt. I’m just a circus in his eyes!” You spat, a little harsher then you meant. But Mokuba knew what you were getting at, as he smiled at you before helping you stand. Jin had already prepared another blanket in another chair- as you remembered it was the one that Seto always chose to sit in.

Cautiously, you sat down in the comfy leather love seat. It was big enough for you to curl your legs in and your toes into the side of the furniture. Mokuba got you set up back with the computer, this time on a table that was stood up. A new cup of broth in the light blue mug was set off to the side. You wrapped yourself up comfortably, as you kept the warm cloth around your hand and continued to flex your cramped fingers.

Eventually, when the skype call was resumed- Marrer was looking at you concerned. This time- Mokuba leaving before he could cause any more damage.

“Little lady, how’s your hand? It got pretty banged up the other day. You scared poor Minu half way to death…” Marrer murmured, as you held up your right hand. He looked at you with question, as you waved away his worry.

“I’m alright. How’s the orchestra sound?” You barely got the question out, before Marrer gave you the gesture for you to hold on. Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, Marrer got up to the conductor’s stand before starting a piece. Particularly the final boss music you had tried to get the previous orchestra to play.

 

When the piece started, you closed your eyes. There wasn’t any point in watching, and while you wished you could have been there- it was close enough to listening as you could get. First, the swell of the violins- the cautiousness the player would have to take to approach such a big beast. Then, the fight began. Life and death- saving the planet from the demon causing rule and chaos over the land…

Suddenly, you heard it. The switch in the dynamic, the change from major chords to minor as the battle favors suddenly shifted towards the boss. Having to dodge the barrage of attacks, the staccatos of the violins as the flurry of blows just seemed to ridiculous. The trombones, the tuba, the trumpets working together to create the deep undertone of the melody while the light tunes of the violins sent to portray the struggle of the player… The struggle to stay alive.

How you had timed the percussion to match with the scripted shots, and stomps of the beast. This is where the coding came into play- and by Gods… Marrer had made the orchestra play to perfection. Minu the Chinese violinist stood out, Jorc the African trumpet stood out, Simi the Mexican flutist stood out… They all stood out in their own right, and you were happy to have them as their respective First Chairs. The fade, the transitions, the pure brilliance to gaming soundtracks… This orchestra cared. You could feel it.

When the piece ended, Marrer turned back to the camera waving to you as he did.

“Well? Whatcha think, little lady?” He called, as you could only smile.

“It sounds absolutely beautiful. Play that piece again, and lets start recording it so that we can get it to the coders stat.” You ordered lightly, as Marrer nodded. He gave a few commands to the players, as the theater was filled with the soft chaotic music of people playing the chords they struggled with as practice. Watching on the tiny screen as the microphone crew came in, fixing the positions so that the instruments could be heard properly.

Though, as it was happening- Minu came up to the camera, this time sitting a proper distance from it so that you could see him a little better.

_‘How are you feeling Ma’am?’_ read his subtitles. You held up the mug for him to see.

“I’m doing alright. Fever hasn’t broken though… I should probably get out of the blanket.” Laughing light heartedly, Minu sighed.

_‘Lan and Sorn Root is good for flus. Please feel better soon, I would love to play with you some time.’_ Minu suggested, as you gave him an apologetic look.

“Sorry Minu, I don’t play anymore.” Offering some comfort, Minu looked a little discontented- but otherwise alright.

_‘Don’t worry about it. I know you save that privilege for Mr. Kaiba. He is the Lion of violins after all.’_ Minu pointed out. That was a curious fact. Is it true that Seto is that renowned for his violin skills? Considering the violin that might just be possibly in this house… You shouldn’t have been too surprised.

“The Lions of Violins… Huh.” You murmured, subconsciously rubbing your right hand. Hearing him play, would be nice…

_‘Go get some rest. I promise Marrer will take good care of us. I would like to see you again in person- if you don’t mind.’_ Minu smiled, only to be tackled by Jorc- the dark African.

_‘Yeah! Go get some sleep, kid! We’ll be right here for you when you get back!’_ The subtitles had to change, considering what Jorc was speaking. It made you happy, to see the orchestra getting along so well regardless of where they were from and how the language barrier wasn’t that much of a problem.

“Fine, fine. Don’t break any instruments. It comes out of my budget.” You warned, as Jorc laughed and yelled something back to the orchestra- who howled and hollered in response. It didn’t bother you at all as Marrer was lecturing them in response. Minu was waving when you closed the laptop.

Eventually, Jin had come by at one point to put a cold rag on your forehead as you surfed the TV for something to watch. Settling for a musical concert, the butler stood behind the chair as he was trained to do. You couldn’t help but yawn, listening to the soothing music… Jumping, you heard a small squeak from the violin section.

It made you change the channel.

“God damn… There’s no good musicians anymore.” You grumbled, hearing a snicker from behind you. Jin was probably laughing at you, and finally finding an American TV show called Lucifer- you settled for just listening as you closed your eyes.

 

Seto was in his office; slaving away at some of the code that the three programmers, he had fired two days ago, created. Listening to the violin music he preferred, till his watch began to beep at him. Glancing down, normally it would’ve been time for your lunch and knowing you- it’d probably be denied at his residence… Less Jin did his job that was.

Somehow, at some time, Mokuba had come to stop by. His hair was wet, fresh from a shower as he was wearing his normal photography clothes- as if he was getting ready for some sort of shoot soon. The younger pulled up a chair next to Seto, glancing over what the older was doing.

“You’re slowing down.” Mokuba only pointed out in the tongue that the two shared, annoyingly at that, as it caused Seto to give a small ‘Tch’ in response. His typing then got faster, but eventually became uneven. Seto was so used to having that odd rhythm of yours keeping him on track- he hadn’t even realized it was one of the reasons he was able to type as fast as he did anymore.

Seto was also thankful, that he had no dinners scheduled anytime soon so that meant he wouldn’t have to take you out in public for a while. Considering how sick you looked this morning, and how his back still ached from last night… It was probably for the best.

 

“You love her, don’t you?”

 

Seto’s typing came to a halt, as his eyes lazily looked at Mokuba. He had a serene face, one of curiosity- one he had seen many of times. Seto gave another ‘Tch’ in response.

“I have no time for trivial things as love.” He snapped, trying to resume his typing. But Mokuba poked at his earbud, and pulled the other one out from his inner shirt to listen. It was the Lioness of the Violin… Your music.

“You listen to her music. You have for years.” Pointing out a blatant fact, Mokuba watched as Seto’s nerves steeled. He would never admit it out loud, and Mokuba had seen time and time again as Seto got hurt by people he thought he could trust. It wouldn’t surprise the younger brother if Seto was trying _not_ to love you.

“She plays well. There’s nothing wrong with listening to my staff’s music.” Seto snapped, once again diving back into his work as best as he could. Mokuba always knew how to pull Seto out of his work.

“She listens to yours too.” Mokuba stated, as Seto gave a small dry laugh.

“Everyone listens to my music. Nothing special.” He responded. Mokuba poked him in the shoulder.

“Nothing special my ass, Ni-saan. You know that song she was working on yesterday? It was a remix, a slower version of “Nameless Feeling”. How else, could you two have played a duet last night?” Seto’s gaze shot to Mokuba, his eyes ablaze with many emotions the younger hasn’t seen in a long time. Mokuba gestured to Seto’s hands, which were covered in small bandages at the fingertips.

“Your hands bled, because you haven’t played ever since you took over the company. Which, mind you- hasn’t been that long, but it’s been long enough for your hands to grow soft… When was the last time you played for someone, till you bled?” The younger asked, as Seto finally gave up on work because Mokuba wasn’t going to leave him alone at this point. Leaning back in his chair, nerves in his lower back shocked him mildly- but was nothing compared to the pain he endured a long time ago.

“…I don’t play for those I don’t like.” Seto finally admitted, and Mokuba smirked at the older brother.

“Exactly. So what made you decide to pick up a bow now? Because this girl, you’ve been keeping around as your ‘toy’ is turning into something much more than that. So tell me, why are you drawn to her?” The younger asked, as Seto drew a blank. Why did he always have you around? Or why, did your face always pop up in his mind? Mokuba stood, patting Seto on the shoulder before taking the private elevator- checking his watch. No doubt, he had a photo shoot to do.

Damnit, why was he drawn to you?

 

Hearing soft violin sounds grace your ears, it wasn’t a sound that you weren’t frustrated with for once. Gods, it was a beautiful sound. Smiling in your sleep, you stretched and opened your eyes wearily. Your foot eventually reached the side of a human being. Peeking around the side of the love seat you had so stiffly fallen asleep in, you found something utterly surprisingly.

Seto was home.

Now that you knew, no wonder you felt like you had known him forever. You had been listening to Seto’s music for years. Many years, before you had taken the job. Unlike others who had tried to grow close to him, you kept your respectable distance. Listen to the pieces that he lay bare for all to hear- only for his hidden emotions to go unchecked upon deaf ears.

But there he was, in his tight black shirt- and the pants that clung to his legs. His sleeves rolled up, as you caught the glance of his left fingertips covered in bandages as blood seeped through them… Had it been that long since he had played last?

“Why weren’t you working when I came home?” Seto asked bluntly, as you could only scoff as him. Giving him a small poke with your big toe in the ribs. It didn’t stop his playing though, as your left hand began to tap a steady beat to his mindless melody. He was playing for the sake of playing, there wasn’t really any emotion out of it- Seto was thinking of something.

“I fell asleep because the orchestra is now recording the final soundtracks for the finishing touches. I had nothing to do.” You grumbled, as Seto gave a small scoff- looking at you with amusement.

“Look at you, ahead of schedule. Now why isn’t my office finished already?” He asked, sarcasm laced heavily in his voice. You gave a mock gasp back in retaliation.

“Seto making jokes?! Hell must’ve frozen over.” Gasping, you fanned yourself with your left hand. Jin must’ve peeled the damn cloth off of your head when you were sleeping as you could feel some sweat beading down your neck. Seto smiled at you, shaking his head as his hand moved with time to his thoughtless tune.

“I don’t believe in Hell. I’m an atheist.” He commented sneakily, as Seto saw that your right hand was still. It wasn’t moving at all.

“I’m perfectly fine, thanks for asking. No need to be a worrywart. This happens sometimes.” You gestured to your right hand, not wanting to tell Seto that Mokuba accidentally grabbed it harshly earlier that morning. Seto raised an eyebrow at you.

“What were you doing, playing one of my pieces yesterday?” Seto bluntly asked, as you became flustered and weren’t quite sure how to answer that.

“I don’t know… I was just playing something from memory- and that was my favorite violin piece.” You murmured, fingering the soft blanket- wanting to burry yourself in it. Though, for some reason- you weren’t quite surprised as Seto then smoothly transitioned into the first measures of the song, “Nameless Feeling”.

Though, it was different. The melody was there, all the familiar notes were there. Long major chords replaced the somber minor ones… Happiness. A touch of happiness was there. Just barely, playing against the better part of your hearing. He was changing it, for you. There was a second feeling that could go along with this song… But you dare not say it.

Instead, you settled for listening as you closed your eyes to listen to his soft confession. Seto would never say it out loud, and neither would you. Everything was just supposed to be a deal, a job- something impersonal… Something detached. As these days have past, a week and a half at this point, both of you knew that it was illogical- to… Cherish.

So, when you heard this “Nameless Feeling” in a completely different tone- it could only serve to make your heart swell. It made you ache in a bitter sweet longing, for something that you knew that wouldn’t serve either well. He longed for your company, for something more than this impersonal distance that he kept between you two. Seto, was crying out for your approval. To have your permission to make this something more- and your forgiveness for his bashfulness and his inability to speak out the words that would matter the most.

But no words need be spoke in that moment…

You didn’t realize when the tears started freely flowing out of your eyes, till one of them dropped on your hand. The small plink reminding you of the snow flakes, of how he brought you here when you froze. How he laid in the snow with you, when Seto could’ve easily gotten up and left. Scolding you for flipping him like that. How he translated things for you, how Seto had let you in. How he had played with you, communicating with you in a way no one else could…

How selfish, you both were being.

Craving each other’s company, a complete stranger to the other- but knowing each other more than anyone else around them. Seto knew this, but he played this confession out- hidden in an old piece. A small, hidden confession that he knew only you could hear. The light heartedness you gave him, the small bits of bewilderment, the surprises… Your caring soul, your passionate soul, your kind soul- as it beat with his, it wasn’t something he could help anymore.

You watched as his body lightly moved to the music he was creating, a masterpiece of an old song made new. He was a workaholic, the only times you had ever seen him relax was whenever he played…

“Seto… Stop.” You murmured, sitting up as you held onto the neck of the violin. Your hand holding onto his… you felt the soft trial of blood flowing down your wrist. He could see your tears glistening in the low lights, as you pried his bleeding hand from the violin… Seto watched with expressionless eyes as you held his hand close, his blood mixing with your tears.

“Don’t hurt yourself for my sake… Please.” Voice barely above a whisper. Internally, it sucked the wind out of him… It was the same thing Mokuba had told him years ago.

You stood, the blanket dropping to the floor as you dragged him gently by the hand to the kitchen. Searching, eventually you found a drawer with all the bandages as you also took out some disinfectant. Wiping the mixture of blood and tears away from your face, the red smudging on your shirt, you took off the ripped bandages away from Seto’s fingers.

He watched numbly, as you replaced each one delicately. As if savoring the very fingers that played on the higher level than yours. Seto didn’t even know when his fingers started bleeding again like this, as he was so used to pain at this point- nothing really bothered him anymore.

“W…When, if you want to… I wouldn’t mind making this relationship… Something more personal…” He barely heard the words, as Seto had to lean forward to hear. You looked up to him, a conviction in your eyes. A determination.

_‘Let me cherish you too.’_ The words came out shakily, as you barely remembered the words in Japanese and could barely speak above a whisper. Seto sighed, giving you the smallest of smiles as eventually- his forehead lay rested against the top of your head. Slowly, he inhaled your scent… Lavender, and pine trees.

_‘Let me cherish you.’_ He murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small warning- next chapter isn't going to go well. But, thanks for reading as always!
> 
> -Zavier001


	8. Worthless. Pathetic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to give a big thanks to all the people who left comments below! Thanks to Stellalana, V, Vicky, Huntraa2139, M, midnight3, Elastrael for leaving comments and advice! Plus a biiiig thanks to Delasera and Jess for leaving comments on all my chapters- reading them always makes my day!
> 
> Now- please don't hate me for the chapter ahead. Please enjoy!
> 
> -Zavier001

Nothing changed.

As you expected, nothing changed between your relationship between Seto and yourself. With your cold worsening over the past couple days- the only thing that really stood out to you was Seto coming home in time for your ‘lunch’.  But- as he rightly should- Seto chose to keep his distance, not wanting to catch whatever nasty bug that had decided to take over your body momentarily.

But with this being the third day you being forced to stay home, you were watching the final recordings for some transitions with the ice pack on your head… With one of Seto’s old concert pieces playing in the background, you listened to both pieces- but mainly paid attention to your own. Sneezing into a tissue, you shivered on the cold leather love seat that was once Seto’s. You hadn’t been back to your apartment in a few days, but at least Mokuba was kind enough to bring you over some pajamas and some extra underwear for you to cycle through as you continued to sweat out the sickness.

 _‘Miss Kaiba? How are you feeling today?’_ Minu asked, his head popping in the camera. You had taken the time to rest a little- since everyone was now getting ready to head to their individual lunches.

“I’m doin’ okay Minu. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” You smiled weakly, yawning as you did. Both the orchestra and Marrer had been working late hours- sometimes having to restart an entire piece over again due to someone missing a note. Marrer insisted he wanted this music perfect- and you weren’t about to argue with him on it. The orchestra players rebounded with such strength, you had begun to compose a new set of music. Just for their next concert, as a thank you. Considering Seto’s ramblings through the violin served as inspiration for you- sometimes you found that your writing reflected on how precious he had become for you.

As if on cue, you could hear the door open. You waved good bye to Minu, and dismissed him to go eat his lunch- and stood. Hearing many bones creak, there was a weariness in your body that made it extremely hard to move. If you had known laying out in the snow for that long got you this sick, you wouldn’t had done it in the first place.

Turning around, you watched as Seto came in the door. He was holding a baloney sandwich in one hand, and a briefcase in the other. Smiling, you couldn’t help but walk up to the island where he took his normal seat as you took two seats away from him. Seto passed you the sandwich- careful not to make contact. While it should’ve offended you, it was mainly because Seto couldn’t afford to be sick.

 _‘Thanks for stopping by.’_ You spoke in fluent Japanese. Jin had taken advantage of the fact that you were home- and drilled you constantly. At this point, easy conversation starters were a thing in the past. Since you had been studying all day with Jin, you figured it would make Seto’s life a little easier than having to switch to a foreign language to speak to you.

 _‘You’re getting better.’_ Seto merely commented, opening his brief case as another sandwich was produced and the computer was brought out as well.

Out of habit, you opened the sandwich box- inspected the bread. The meat, the sauce, and then checked the ingredients. He watched you warily as you took a small nibble out from the bread, waited two seconds and then proceeded to take a large un-ladylike bite out of it. Sighing in content, you glanced to Seto as he shook his head at you and returned to his work. Taking a bite out of his own sandwich quietly.

But, as silent as the lunch was- it wasn’t something you particularly uncomfortable with. In fact, your foot had managed to snake to Seto’s cold boot and settled to rest there. It happened every lunch so far, and since you were now working on new pieces- your mind was far from the game soundtrack that was now almost a quarter percent complete. All you had to do was listen to the recordings Marrer approved, send them to the coders and let those brilliant geeks work their magic.

Seto quietly tapped two fingers on the table.

 _‘You’re welcome. For what, I don’t know.’_ You answered quietly, as Seto could feel the warmth from your toes creep into his shoes. But, somehow you found the rhythm of his typing make its way into your pencil music sheet and had to erase it furiously. He glanced at you skeptically, as you waved him away dismissively and Seto shook his head at you once more. You could feel him shift sometimes to curiously glance at what you were working on, read the music you continued to write with your stiff right hand, and then proceed to continue working.

You were content with this type of lunch, and so was he.

 

The silence was suddenly ruined by a door bell ringing throughout the house. You could hear Jin’s footsteps walk furiously to the door, as a familiar voice was suddenly heard.

 _‘Jin! It’s been so long! Is Seto here?’_ A sing-song voice asked, as you could hear Jin trying to persuade this newcomer that now wasn’t a good time. But she managed to push by him, as you heard the click of heels and was suddenly met with a wall of perfume. You looked past Seto, and there she was.

Ms. Bitch Shareholder.

Of course, Ms. Bitch Shareholder was wearing something far less formal then last time. Her shiny black hair cascading down her shoulders as she was wearing tight red cocktail dress, matching heels, and way too much perfume as last time. Her smiling facade suddenly faded upon seeing that you were also in the room.

 _‘What is that rat doing here Seto?’_ She asked, purposefully switching to Japanese. Oh, she was going to get it. You didn’t even need your earbud as Jin was seen chasing after her in the hallway. He was huffing a little, which told you a lot about how fast Ms. Shareholder was walking… What was her name again?

 _‘I’m not a rat- bitch.’_ You distastefully spat back in her native tongue, as Seto gave you a small glance that was a mix of a glare and a questionable curiosity. Saiku looked at you with a confident glare that you’ve seen many-a-times on Seto. Only hers was filled with a darker malice, and jealousy that she was trying to hide… Suddenly it dawned on you, why she continued to pester him.

She was desperate for him.

And-boy. Were you going to play this to your advantage, like the little calculating southern American you were. Especially now that you could speak a little more of her language. Saiku was about to walk forward, and you couldn’t help but ask Seto in particular-

 _‘Is there a dinner, or a party tonight?’_ Which in turn, he looked at you and nodded his head. Saiku scoffed at you.

 _‘You can’t go, little child. This is a grown up’s party.’_ A small tch formed in your jaw, and you sighed. Of course- that’s why she was here. Saiku’s a shareholder, and if it’s a company party- no doubt that she’d be there.

 _‘I have you know, I’m part of this company too. Even if your staff doesn’t like me- Seto does. I will be his date tonight, so you can go whore another busy body.’_ You stood up, sniffling in your snot as you did. Surprisingly, even in her heels and you weren’t sure why you didn’t notice this before, you extremely more towering over her. Saiku huffed, at your snarky comment. But it didn’t stop there, as you stood above her- giving her the best impression of a Seto glare you could.

 _‘What did you just say to me, rat?’_ Saiku hissed, trying her best to meet your height and glare with one of her own.

 _‘I said. Go whore, another busy body.’_ You spoke slower, talking to her as if she was a child. You could see in the corner of your vision that Seto was trying with all his might… Not to laugh. You didn’t want him to at this moment, this Bitch Shareholder didn’t deserve to hear that. Saiku scoffed, and smirked as she turned around.

 _‘Fine- if you’re going to be there, I hope you don’t freeze up like a coward like your past performances. Lioness.’_ She spat, and walked out of the kitchen. Jin following close behind her- looking at you and gave you a look that meant questions later about your particular language choices. As soon as the door shut, not a second later- Seto was scoffing. Laughing almost.

“You have balls. I’ll give you that.” He laughed at your stupidity to insult Saiku that way. You huffed, turning up your nose in her non-existent direction. Rat, your ass. That no-good whoring bitch shareholder body position abuser… Sheesh. Your insults for her were beginning to grow.

“English now hm? What happened to Mr. I-Hate-Everything-and-Don’t-Laugh-At-Anything?” You asked, taking a seat proudly next to Seto as he looked at you with disappointment.

“Again. Logically, that is a longer title then it should be.” He grumbled, as you yawned. That took way more energy out of you then you meant it to, and since you were still sick- it meant you had to break out the Dayquil. Cold medicine. And whatnots.

“You do realize what you just got yourself into right?” Seto reminded you, as you groaned at the thought. At the moment, you didn’t like the thought of him going with her as his ‘date’ if one wanted to call it that… Why did you agree to go to a party?

“…I will own up to my mistakes. I am your fiancé after all.” You grumbled, glancing at your half-eaten sandwich. It wasn’t as appetizing as earlier. Seto nodded at your gal, but was more worried about another type of problem that might arise from tonight.

“I won’t be able to steer you away from things you can’t have… Don’t make the same mistake you did for Victor, because I won’t be able to be there to catch you… If you were to fall.” Seto murmured, his typing stopping at the mere thought of the background check that graced his desk that day. You could only nod in acceptance at his warning- as it served to only make you feel more frustrated. It wasn’t as if you asked for your allergic reactions to be that severe, nor since you stopped being in the spotlight- that social anxiety would eventually kick in.

“I won’t fall. Not when I’m by your side.” You murmured, standing as Jin was waiting for you with a hand full of maids behind him. Yawning, and stretching as your back popped- you could only wander over to the butler. Who was lecturing you about party manners, and what to expect from that evening. Seto, watching you leave, could feel nothing but dread for what was to come. But he had no idea why, and could only hope that this party wouldn’t bring something much more worse than Saiku trying to court her way into the top.

 

 

The door was opened for you, as the cameras shutters could be blaringly heard. Screaming fans were reaching your ears as you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. It wasn’t a performance, it wasn’t a concert… This was for Seto, and partially your pride. He raised an eyebrow as Seto stepped out before you, as the chaotic noise increased- causing your breath to hitch. Rubbing your wrist, you knew it was useless to try and finger the non-existent medical bracelet. Seto reached for your hand, and gently guided you out of the car- his forever nonchalant face glazed over. You could tell he was tense about you. Like this, here in a crowd of strangers with so much noise your internal metronome couldn’t keep up- or make a situation you could control due to human nature.

“Listen to me.” Seto whispered in your ear, as you two stood fully on the red carpet that led up to the banquet hall. It was the 5th year anniversary for the Kaiba Corporation since Seto had taken it over. So everyone important was going to be there, everything that meant to Seto would be inside… All those people, all those staff members… What did you have to show for it? What did you mean to his ‘team’ and his ‘family’…?

What gave you the right to think you could be there, striding inside the way you were…?

Seto’s voice did nothing to comfort you in that moment. Not even his voice was bringing you out of this rabbit hole… The lid was sealed.

Silence. Everything became silent. You had to mentally think for a moment to realize Seto had guided you inside, as the familiar quiet classical music of a paid orchestra was playing in the background over the low buzz of chatting co-workers. Each holding some sort of alcoholic drink, elegantly talking to the other… Oh, you were out of your element here.

But, regardless, you followed in-sync with Seto’s footsteps. Finding some comfort in his steady deep footsteps, you held onto his arm as tightly as a publicly suitor could. You weren’t even listening as Seto met numerous amounts of people. Telling them hello, asking them how their experiences were for company. Basically asking in a polite way a secret survey that Seto would most likely use to create a better flowing business in the future.

 _‘So you did decide to come. Pleasure to see you.’_ Saiku had somehow found her way into the mix. You gave her a heartwarming smile, as you could tell her professional voice was in play. This was no time to embarrass, or to be sassy… Seto’s reputation and the company’s were on the line.

 _‘Thank you for the extended invention. I appreciate the hospitality.’_ Replying back calmly, a waiter came by to offer some champagne, as Saiku easily grabbed two of them. Handing you one flawlessly. You accepted it in grace, but only took a small sip- testing the waters as usual.

 _‘I’m glad you agree that this is a wonderful party- hosted by Seto Kaiba of course.’_ She smiled, bitterly of course. Seto was listening quietly as he continued to talk about the new upcoming game in development with another co-developer and coordinator. It still had yet to be given any sort of title, and Seto was waiting till the last moment to reveal it… When his team came up with a name of course.

But. There is was.

The slight ting in your throat, as you took a deep breath to smell the champagne. You could feel the tips of your left fingers beginning to tingle, as a light headed feeling nearly make you sway.

 _‘Don’t you like it? It’s a special brew that has a small walnut imbedded within the bottle. It’s quite intriguing taste, don’t you think?’_ Saiku smiled, as immediately Seto knew something was wrong. But, you calmly smiled back. The feelings weren’t enough to make you quite sit out of the party, and this certainly wasn’t your first rodeo going head to head with a long haul where your allergy was on the board.

 _‘Of course. But I will have to politely decline your offer. I’m not much of a champagne drinker.’_ The co-developer looked at you odd, a small hint of distaste at your gal.

 _‘Interesting Seto, how your fiancé gets along with Ms. Saiku so well. I wasn’t expecting our dates to be closer than us!’_ He laughed, patting Seto on the shoulder in humor. Seto, on the other hand, wasn’t having it- as he could only give that public smile. But the way that you could feel his arm through your hand was enough. Seto was now on edge, knowing that he- of all people- had made a mistake in letting Saiku plan the party.

Nor both of you could afford to let the staff find out that you were an invalid.

It would cause what little respect the staff already had to go out the window. No longer would it turn from a ‘little girl getting the attention she didn’t deserve’… It would turn to something much, much worse. Immediately, the entire company would think you used your disabilities to have Seto pity you, and would be more distasted by your mere presence. That your confidence was fake, that your personality was fake…

It would completely undermine your reputation- and probably would cost you the composing career you managed to build _away_ from America.

 _‘She is my suitor after all. This brilliant woman wouldn’t be standing by my side if she couldn’t handle being in mere conversations such as this one. But, if you excuse us- I’d like to meet with the rest of my staff.’_ Seto politely ended the conversation there, as everyone took their seats at the respective tables. Thankful that you were able to sit, it helped your floating head to calm down just a little as you knew that eventually… This would ride out, so long as no one forced you to drink the champagne.

But, you couldn’t help but think that Saiku had planted everything that you were allergic to in every bit of food that was on the dinner meal for that night. Seto knew it, and so did you as soon as the first meal was set in front of you.

Your luck just wasn’t having it that night, as not only did Seto’s table have all the shareholders and development leaders around you- even the mere meals were something you could only eat small amounts of. Having to tell each time- that you weren’t quite a fan of the taste, which in the long run… You knew it made you look completely snotty, and snubbed everything that came your way.

It was a sacrifice you had to make…

Conversations were now flying over your head, unable to focus as your vision was beginning to become blurry. Each breath was now painstakingly hard to accomplish, as very little of your throat was open enough to allow some air though. You couldn’t feel your fingers, couldn’t feel your feet for that matter. All the while, Seto watched with agonizing pain as he knew what you were doing to yourself…

He’d seen you do it before. For he, had done it many times too.

To Seto- the entire party was a ball of nerves for him. But, he had never felt this amount of internal panic in a long time. Not since the shareholders had taken a ‘liking’ to Mokuba. Sitting there, at the table and being able to eat every meal but watch you take slow bites and nibbles because of the amount of peanut based products that Saiku had purposefully chosen. Not being able to do anything, and it was at that moment, Seto hated having to be so damn popular. To not be a normal man, that needed higher standards than an _‘invalid’_ for a potential suitor. His reputation would be perfectly fine, as Seto was that respected… But damn- yours would be sent down the drain if you showed any signs of weakness.

Seto hated doing this to you. Hated every second of it.

Eventually you heard some sort of dinging- coming from a nearby table.

 _‘Now we all know, that we wouldn’t be here without everyone on the staff!’_ One of the team developers stood, glass in hand as he happily raised it for a toast. Everyone cheered, as you gulped. You hoped to hell, that you wouldn’t have to stand or give a speech as Seto would have to. Seto raised his glass in acceptance of the man.

 _‘But of course, we couldn’t have done any of it if it wasn’t for Seto himself! I just wanted to extend a warm thank you to the man who made this all happen!!’_ You could barely register the words, barely resister that the crowd was cheering. That they were calling him to the stage, demanding a speech… Meaning that he would have to bring you with him.

‘Don’t make me go… Seto. I won’t be able to stand.’ You could only think, as Saiku smiled and stood for the crowd. Silencing them almost instantly.

 _‘Please Seto! Take the stage, and please- bring your beautiful fiancé!’_ Damnit. Damnit it all to hell, Saiku. You never took for granted how power hungry she truly was. She could do anything, be anything… Here you were- a budding composer. Seto looked at you with a gentle smile, that meant everything but kindness. Worry, deep rooted worry. That public face couldn’t hide what you knew would eventually happen next.

He was careful, to make sure he held your arm as you both stood. You weren’t sure at this point how you looked, and weren’t even sure where in the room you were…You couldn’t even take a step.

The world tilted, as everything faded to black.

 

_“How does that feel?” The doctor asked you, as you grimaced in pain. Extending your fingers with the bands around them, your hand felt on fire. It was the worst pain you had ever experienced in your life._

_“Painful as fuck.” You hissed, as you let your hand fall slack. But in all spite, the doctors had been telling you that your determination was your most endearing quality. Your hand was recovering much quicker than they had anticipated. Moaning in pain, the door opened as you saw two figures standing there… Or at least, one standing- the other in a wheel chair._

_“Hey honey, just wanted to see how you were doing.” Your father smiled at you, brimming with the sunshine that he always was. Your mother, on the other hand… She sat in the wheel chair, blank faced and unfocused. She was somewhere else, as always._

_“I’m doin’ okay Pops. Just hurts is all.” You couldn’t help but turn to face them. Cautious of your mother though, cautious of one of her… episodes. He sighed, bringing the two closer- your mother uncaring. He couldn’t help but gleam at you. The perfect fatherly smile._

_“Worthless! You pathetic sad excuse for a violinist!” Suddenly, your mother launched at you- grabbing the back of your hair and slamming you into the table. You didn’t react fast enough, as you could hear the doctors scrambling to try and pry your mother off of you._

_“Worthless! Worthless-worthless-pathetic!! Pathetic child!! You’ll never accomplish anything!!” She kept screaming, over and over again. Spitting every insult at you, gripping your hair tightly. Finally, you felt fingers pry the sharp nails from your head- as you sat up unblinking at your mother. A syringe was in her neck, a relaxant, as she slumped back into her chair. Uncaring, unblinking… As if nothing had ever happened._

_“I-I’m so sorry… I thought she was going to be okay this time. She had been doing so good, staying on her medication and all.” Your father apologized, his hands covered in scratches and even some bite marks littered his arms. You smiled grimly at him, your left hand caressing the tenderness left by your mother._

_“It’s fine Dad… Dementia does that to people. I mean… Look what epilepsy got me. My allergies, the shock that comes with it. I don’t know how bad it’s going to be… I don’t even know if I’ll be able to be a functioning citizen.” You somberly explained. Your father looked at you with compassion- before having to wheel away your mentally dying mother._

_It wasn’t her fault. It never was._

Now- this feeling… Was certainly familiar. The beeping, the sickly smell. Bustling, busy places with people to see and places to go. The lack of individuality, the lack of… Presence. But, the beeping served to calm your internal metronome. Looking around, as best as you could, your body felt like it was floating. You could hear the pitter patter of snow falling, as you faintly recalled what it was.

_‘It’s called snow.’ Seto laughed at you._

Snow… You loved the snow, at least… What little moments that you could spend in it with him. Seto’s laughter echoed in your ears, a sweet sound that you would never forget. Using the panels on the side of the hospital bed to sit up, you glanced around the room.

Empty. As it should be.

No flowers, no notes- not even a person to greet you when you woke up. The blank white room proved that there wasn’t any connections that you could conjure up. Marrer was probably busy, so was the rest of the orchestra… Mokuba was probably busy. You had no doubt that your father, much less your mother, would be able to fly to Japan to see you…

There was still that pain, that bittersweet pain… Longing.

Suddenly, you heard a gasp- and the clatter of some sort of clip board. You glanced confused around the room, settling your gaze on a nurse. Frozen in shock at your awakening. Though, as to why you were confused… The last thing you remembered was being at Seto’s party… Where was Seto anyways? Probably working. Watching as the nurse took off and immediately made a couple of phone calls- doctors rushed into the room. Checking your vitals, your motor skills- everything they could possibly think of.

Though, your thoughts were interrupted as Mokuba came running down the hall- pushing past all the doctors in a blind fury. He even had his photo equipment on him- meaning that the younger brother had been working when he received the call and turned around. Probably canceling everything in one phone call.

When he finally made it to you, Mokuba was gasping for breath. Looking you up and down, as if he had lost someone important. Determining for himself that you were okay, it was if the strings of tension had been cut. He sat on your bed, sighing in relief. Mokuba’s dark eyes look like something terrible had happened- and you weren’t quite sure what.

Glancing around for your smart phone, Mokuba was the first to hand it to you- as if knowing exactly what you were thinking. What about Seto? Was he alright? Oh Gods… What about his reputation? His company?

“Hey… You need to know… You’ve been unconscious for the past week.” Mokuba murmured, as you nodded numbly. Staring at your phone- reading the head line news. Mokuba looked away, there wasn’t anything that he could do for you…

He didn’t want to watch you cry.

The headlines, as you read it- something just snapped inside of you. A picture- of Saiku, and Seto attending a dinner meeting together. Her little bony arm wrapped around Seto’s, as it was obvious underneath the titles of “Match of a Lifetime- how Seto evolved from dating an Invalid.” Your chest heaved, as your left hand just dropped the phone. This was going to happen, you knew it. You knew that this shouldn’t have been something more than a job.

But Gods damnit all… Why did it hurt so much?

“…What about the orchestra?” You murmured, trying to think of anything. Anything else then this soul sucking pain you felt. Mokuba looked at you worriedly.

“Fired. Every single one of them.” Of course… Every bit of happiness. Sucked out of your life- as you knew that now… Your life as a composure of was over. There was no life for you to go back to- you didn’t even want to look at your phone.

“…Why are you here?” Mustering what little voice you had left, Mokuba looked at you with a piercing agony. He was miserable about this situation too, just as you were.

“Because I care. I care about you, and my brother Set-“

“Don’t say his name!” You snapped, a fury of emotions just set off from inside you. Fists clenched, you trembled. If only, if only you hadn’t been born with this. If only you had been born as something else. Someone else.

Pathetic. Worthless… Your mother had been right all along.

“Leave…” You whispered, Mokuba leaning in to try and hear what you had murmured. At this point, all the doctors had left- leaving just you and Mokuba in the room.

“Leave!!” Screaming, you watched as Mokuba scrambled upright to the door. Terrified, of hearing your voice so coarse… So defeated. He watched as you lay back on the bed, turning away from the world as you pulled the hospital blankets over your head…

Mokuba stood there, at the door way- watching you sob in agony in the rabbit hole… Something you could no longer escape.


	9. Desire and Hope

The doctors weren’t quite ready to release you quite yet. Taking a sudden turn to your mental state, nurses have been more then concerned about your behavior. Mokuba, not even caring about the fact that you had yelled at him the day before- had returned to make sure you were doing alright.

To your surprise, he had brought a violin case… and a familiar sandwich. Plus all of his photo equipment.

“…Why are you even back?” You murmured, moving the bed to sit up properly. The TV was on, silent to the news as you watched the current public conference that Seto was holding overseas in America. You couldn’t help but notice that there wasn’t any caramel in a small dish that was normally in all of his past public appearances. His cheekbones were definitive, meaning that he wasn’t eating. That passion, even if you could barely see his eyes in the camera, was gone.

Back, to that auto pilot.

“Because, I was given specific instructions. To give you these.” Mokuba lay the violin case on your lap. The case was wooden, pristine almost- something that was obviously well taken care of. The sandwich, was all too familiar. He sat back in one of the hospital chairs, taking note of the new flowers that had been put in on one of the tables. Mokuba watched you push away the sandwich- not even chancing to eat anything but saltines the hospital had provided you.

But, he did watch you- with his camera on, as you opened the violin case.

Freezing, you glanced over the dark ebony wood. The musty smell reaching your nose, as you glanced over the bow and violin. Aged, worn, used… Beautiful. Absolutely… Beautiful. Your right hand stroked over the wood for two seconds, as you glanced back at the sandwich. Bologna, your favorite.

“I-I can’t take this.” You whispered, your eyes blazing across the violin with a lit passion Mokuba hadn’t seen in so long. He smiled, and you heard the shutter of a camera. Looking up, you saw that Mokuba had taken a picture of you, in your moment of awe.

“Give it back to him. Please.” Almost pleading, you shut the violin case gingerly. There was no way, no way you could even _think_ of playing this. Not with the way you were, now- and probably forever would be. Mokuba smiled at you, and shook his head with stubborn denial.

“Marrer, wants to recruit you in his new orchestra as Chair 1 for Violin. Plus, he heard through some sort of grape vine that there were new pieces that you were working on. Incomplete, but he was given the original sheets.” Mokuba explained, seeing you process all of this information. It was unbelievable, almost too good to be true.

“The owner of that Stradivarius wants to hear the Lioness play again. Even if her former career was potentially destroyed. There’s always something that can be rebuilt.” Explaining quietly, the younger brother moved to sit on the bed next to you. Glancing at the sandwich that was put on the table, there wasn’t that normal determination in your eyes.

“…I can’t. I’m sorry. But, please. Give this back to him. I’m not worthy.” You whispered, taking the sandwich and throwing it in the trash. Food was the least appealing thing that was on your mind right now. Nor was music… Or the concept of even going back to playing. Not with your right hand, being the way it was. Barely even being able to hold the bow, you pushed the violin case gently back to Mokuba.

Gesturing for him to leave.

It was a silent gesture, something different from yesterday. Mokuba knew better then to press the subject, as he nodded in acceptance. At least you weren’t yelling at him this time. Taking the violin case with him, Mokuba glanced at you once- before leaving. Leaning back in the hospital bed- you just numbly watched the snow fall.

 

You weren’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually you had fallen asleep. But, listening to a violin play so gently for you- you couldn’t help but smile in your sleep. It sounded like Seto… Maybe it was him. Turning and looking at the sound, you opened your eyes to see a familiar blue haired violinist. Immediately, your gentle smile was replaced with one of disappointment.

“Minu, what are you doing here?” You asked, your voice low and coarse with sadness. Minu looked at you with a kindness, regardless of the reaction you just gave him. Glancing around, you found your earbud on one of the night stands, was reluctant to put it in… Seto had fixed it for you. But, wanting to understand Minu- you put the earbud in its rightful place.

_‘Just thought I see how you were doing, plus I brought my mother to see the wonderful composer that wrote the next concert I’m participating in.’_ As if on cue, a nice little old lady stood from the corner of the room. Minu smiled brightly at you, as you bowed your head lightly in respect to his mother. You were glad to see she was feeling well enough to start traveling.

“Nice to meet you.” Sighing, you couldn’t help but tense up. She smiled at you just as bright as Minu, as you could see where the young man got his smile from.

_‘I’m glad to meet you too. Your pieces as absolutely beautiful to hear, always hearing Minu practice at home. Thank you for putting your faith in him.’_ She bowed deeply to you, as you waved your hand. Trying to get her to stand. The only reason why you had chosen Minu was because he was the only violinist that had enough skill to almost- _almost-_ match Seto’s… Seto had been the only one who could play your solos with exceptional ease.

Damnit. Your thoughts were going back to him again.

“The term ‘absolutely beautiful’ should go to your son. I just write the music, he makes it sound beautiful.” Humbly declining her compliment, Minu’s mother stood to you. A conviction in her eyes. She didn’t believe your self-doubt, and obviously wanted you to see your self-worth… It reminded you of Seto.

_‘Only a composer who has played the violin the way you used to, can only write as something as beautiful as what he’s playing.’_ She pointed out, and you gave a gentle smile. Though the kindness didn’t reach inside of you far enough to make your dead soul become ablaze again. Minu laughed awkwardly, a small blush forming to his cheeks. Slightly embarrassed.

“Minu, you’re welcome to continue to practice if you want… Or what little of a piece you have to practice.” You murmured, leaning back in the bed- staring at the ceiling.

_‘You aren’t going to finish them?’_ Minu asked, raising his violin and bow as he began to play.

“…Probably not.” Whispering, you closed your eyes to listen to what Minu’s violin had to offer… You missed Seto’s beautiful sound, wholesome- and low… The sound that resonated in your soul.

 

Seto wasn’t even aware of how much time had passed since the party. Not that he wanted to be aware of it. Not that he wanted to think of that damned party. Sitting at the desk in the hotel room, Seto typed away at his work. Estimations, coding, deals, dinners… Everything possible. The bathroom door opened, revealing Saiku dressed in some easy going clothes- with her long hair wet from the shower she just finished.

“Working again? Come on Setty- let’s have some fun.” Saiku purred, leaning on Seto as he simply ignored her. Continuing to work on what he could salvage.

“No. Go away.” He sharply ordered, not giving her a chance to make any ground then she already had. Not with what she had done to you, and what she always threatened to do.

“Seto, remember the deal we made? I can easily kick her out of that blasted hospital. She surly doesn’t have enough to afford it. You owe me a date.” Saiku hissed, whispering in Seto’s ear. He took a deep breath, before shutting his lap top. It was only a matter of time- before Saiku decided that your life wasn’t worth anything anymore. He stood, and began to rummage through the hotel closet.

Nothing was the same, with you gone.

Taking Saiku out left Seto mentally exhausted, compared to when he went out with you. She wanted to go every store, see everything- and spend the most amount of cash possible. He didn’t even know where her money came from, but all Seto knew was that he was miserable without you. Even Duel Monsters wasn’t the same, the coffee wasn’t the same… He couldn’t even snack on caramel anymore.

When she finally decided to settle down, and enjoy a nice café in downtown New York- Saiku ranted on, and on about how happy she was. To finally have him by her side. Seto only gave a dry scoff to her gushing.

“You’re only happy, because you finally made it to the top.” He hissed, looking down at his bland black coffee… It would’ve been nice, to have caramel in it.

_‘Let me cherish you too.’ Your voice echoed, the sweetness and the tenderness so delicately hidden behind it._

“Setty, don’t be that way. You know I love you, and this is so much more better for the both of us. The company will grow tenfold, and you’ll finally reach your goal of being the highest respected business in the world. That speech you did for the opening premiere…” Seto stopped listening to Saiku ramble praises to him blindly, as he turned his head to glance at the moving cars. People walking by.

Thankfully, his phone rang. Mokuba.

“I have to take this. It’s regarding the game.” Seto snapped shortly, cutting Saiku off as he stood and quickly walked outside the café into the noisy streets.

_‘Seto! How’s New York?’_ Mokuba’s voice came cheerily from the other end. Specifically, in English. Perhaps… Perhaps you had moved on already. Moved on to something you could hopefully create out of a useless career now that Saiku had all but destroyed it.

_‘It’s alright. The game launched successfully.’_ He spoke quickly, as Seto wasn’t really in the mood for light small talk. Mokuba sighed.

_‘She denied your violin.’_ His voice was soft, and hurt almost. Not by the denial, but from what it sounded like- Mokuba was worried for the both of you.

_‘…Keep trying. I have no use for it anymore.’_ It hurt, to say those words. There were so many more pieces that he found, scattered about the house like crumbs. Every time he wandered the halls to think, to help you, there was another page to your never-ending puzzle. New sheets, new feelings… New longings. Seto had never felt a loneliness and craving so bad as this. His soul was numb because of your lack of presence.

_‘Seto… She won’t even look at me. Won’t eat the sandwich, won’t even play. She isn’t even writing… All she does is stare at the snow.’_ Mokuba’s words did nothing but stab Seto internally. Snow… Seto glanced up at the sky. The overcast was there, but the snow wasn’t. All his thoughts drifted to, was how you looked in the snow. Your hair sprawled in thin tresses out in the white ice. Highlighting your face, your body… Your content. The most relaxed he had seen you- ever.

An image he had burned into his mind.

_‘…I can’t help you Mokuba.’_ Seto grumbled, clenching his fists. Never, had he ever felt so useless in this situation. So helpless, so lost… Is this what it felt like, for you, when your internal metronome stopped? Seto felt as if all of his light had been sucked out of him, his passion, his fire… You had taken all of that with you. When you fell that day, and it wasn’t even… Your fault.

_‘Seto please! She’s dying of a broken heart- she needs you ba—‘_ Seto didn’t want to hear it. Hanging up on even his younger brother, Seto turned back to the café to see Saiku waiting happily for him. Giving a little wave with her bony hand… The hand that held him captive. Here. For the debut for the game. But, just a little longer… All he needed a little longer.

 

Same time, the next day- Mokuba walked into the room. Violin case in hand. Sandwich in hand. The day, that you had awoke- when the nurses called him… The first thing he had done was call Seto. Who had specifically told him three things.

_‘First. That violin must fall in her hands. Get her to play… At least a little. Second. Bologna is her favorite sandwich. She needs to eat, because she never does._ _Third… Don’t let her fall in a rabbit hole. Don’t let that lid be sealed. Or else, she’ll never be the same. I’ll figure this out, as soon as I can. Until then, make sure that she stays happy… For me.’_

You were sleeping, phone in hand. Tear streaks stained your face, dried tears, as it seemed you were reading the news again. Looking to the silent TV, you had it set to Seto’s debut- watching as he announced what made this game different then the next. Quietly, Mokuba set down the sandwich on the table. He noticed, that the flowers had grown. Now instead of one, there were two flower vases with another bouquet.

Mokuba could see Marrer, in one of the chairs.

“Hey, old man.” He whispered, pulling up a stool and sitting next to the conductor. Mokuba ended up once again, pulling out his camera. Setting the violin case down gently, he of all people knew how much it cost Seto to obtain this specific violin. What it sounded like… What you made Seto sound like. On this beautiful instrument.

“No luck then…?” Marrer whispered back, glancing at you. Sleeping roughly, as he had silently watched you cry yourself to sleep. You were pale, sickly pale, and according to what the doctors had told him… You had lost weight. Quickly, unhealthily. None of the nurses, or doctors believed what Marrer had told them… That you were dying because of a broken heart. It hurt. All of them. The orchestra, himself, Mokuba… Seto. Poor Seto- dragging his overworked brain in the mud. Trying to figure out some way, somehow, to peg Saiku for _something._

“…None. Saiku’s hanging on him like a leech. Won’t let Seto out of her sight.” Mokuba murmured, hearing you hum and groan sleepily at the noise. There were dark circles under your eyes, meaning you barely got any sleep at all. Mokuba watched, as you looked at the sandwich… How your eyes grew so much darker, and wasn’t even remotely interested in it- as once again. The sandwich that Seto swore was your favorite, was thrown in the trash with no remorse. Not even opened. Not even bitten in.

“Good afternoon.” Mokuba could only manage softly, earning a dark glower from you. A defeated look that only lasted two seconds, before the fight drained from your eyes and you laid back on the bed. Continuing to stare out the window. Marrer looked at the younger Kaiba brother with significant worry. This wasn’t looking too good.

Slowly, Mokuba approached the bed and sat next to you. Once again, he placed the Stadivarius on your lap. You glanced at it, knowing what was already in it- but pushed it back gently. Knowing all too well what would happen if you damaged it in any way. It was your rejection for the day… Mokuba understood, as he took the case and set it down on the floor. Standing at the edge of the bed- you heard a shutter of a camera.

Glancing at the end of the bed- you saw Mokuba holding up his camera. Taking pictures of you, in your pitiful state.

“Mokuba… Don’t take pictures of me.” You murmured, pulling the sheets over your head. Hearing a sigh, you heard quiet footsteps leave the room after a while. Eventually you heard Marrer’s as well. Staying underneath the sheets, the immense pain that you felt in your chest just grew heavier… There wasn’t anything you could do about it.

 

That night, Seto was furiously typing on his laptop while Saiku was asleep. He hadn’t found anything, anything at all. There wasn’t anything on her, or her background, or where she had even come from for the matter. No criminal record, no bank records… Nothing. It was something that he had found beyond strange- and delved only deeper in it.

There… There was that beautiful swell, the strong violin solo that bled so heavily into Seto’s ears from the earbuds… It hurt. It hurt, and Seto felt a strong desire- to fly back to Domino City. Just to play for you.

Forcing himself to focus, Seto yanked out the earbuds before they could do anymore damage. He was so close, the older brother could feel it. But hearing a stir behind him, Seto quickly changed screens. Showing last minute bugs he _should’ve_ been working on for the game. Most of them, were transitions between music that didn’t match up… Even your boss music had been replaced.

Saiku made sure that there was no trace of you left, not in the game. Not in his life.

"Mhmm... Setty, come to bed. We have another conference tomorrow." Sailu murmured sleepily, as she slowly sat up in the bed. Her body illuminated by the glow of the laptop. Seto glanced back at her, an unamused look in his eyes. She was trying so very hard, to claim his heart in blindness and greed. It was disgusting to him, and Seto wished he had you peacefully sleeping with him again.

Those three days that you were sick, caused the biggest impact on him. The week, that you were gone- broke his heart. The threat, held above your head- only served to heed Saiku's warning. To look for a way out... Anything. To run back to you.

"No. I have too much work to do." Seto sharply declined. He wasn't going to give her that chance. Not in a million years. Saiku sighed, almost like a child who was denied her 'just desserts'.

"Seto. I said come to bed." She demanded, as he easily ignored her. There was one thing that Saiku couldn't do that you easily could.

Control him.

"Fine then. Be that way." Saiku hissed, as she threw herself underneath the covers.  Seto could hear her take deep breaths, as Seto realized she was silently crying... What a child.

_"Seto... Stop." His aching hand drawn to your face, watching solemnly as your tears mixed his with blood. It was the most beautiful, yet heart wrenching sight Seto had ever seen._

The memory warmed Seto's heart, his small flame. Had it already been three weeks since he met you? Technically your job dispatch was up, and there wasn't any reason for you to return to him. For all Seto knew, you probably resented him for what he was doing. Going to America, for the game debut- and then on top of that... Using Saiku because she threatened to kill you. Everyday.

Waiting till he heard Saiku's breathing even, Seto went back to digging for information. Once again, he was left with nothing. No address to have Mokuba look at, no car for Isono to go through... But. Eventually, he came across your file. Your background check, your experiences. Not wanting to put himself through that pain, he put that down on his task bar. Making sure to keep it hidden... but it only served to make Seto do something more.

Standing up, Seto grabbed his phone and walked outside the hotel room. Making sure to watch his back, and eventually reached the foyer where if Saiku decided to come down and look for him, Seto could see it.

 

You were starring out the window again, body numb- no mental thought process when your phone suddenly rang. Lazily looking at it, an unfamiliar number lit the screen. But the area code was from Japan, and you wondered if it was one of the orchestra members trying to wish you well again... Hesitantly, you picked it up.

"...Hello?"

"About time." Caramel. A sweet, sweet caramel voice filled your ears. Immediately, you sat up- though your head spun. From the lack of movement considering what you've been doing the last few days.

"You-you're-Why I oughta!!" You could only stammer in your southern drawl. There was a flurry of emotions that wracked your body. Red, filled your vision with anger while your eyes betrayed you with tears. But your internal metronome beat fast with excitement as your chest hurt from melancholy and bittersweet happiness.

"I know. You're angry. I don't expect you to express any emotion otherwise." Seto murmured, from the other side of the phone. Your soul was set ablaze, as you savored every last word he uttered gracefully to you. It was involuntary. It was frustrating...

You couldn't help but miss him.

"Why did you go to her? Why Saiku? Did I mean nothing to you?" Questions, each one sounding harsher then the last, came pouring out of your mouth before you could stop them. Met with silence at first, you heard Seto take a deep breath.

"Listen... I want you to stay safe. I need you to get out of that hospital, as soon as possible. Because Saiku has watch there, and I can't do anything drastic- till you get out. So do me a favor, stop moping. Because that isn't what you do. You- don't give up." Seto lectured you, his voice heavy with guilt. But- even you could hear it. Passion. A same passion that was lit with enough force to match your own when you first heard Seto's voice.

"...Alright. I will. Hey Seto...?" You asked, loving the ability to speak his name freely. He met your question with a 'Hm'.

"While you were gone... You reminded me of an Egyptian God." Though you couldn't see it; you knew Seto was bewildered a little. That he was tense.

"Explain." Short, simple. Perhaps, there were memories that were associated with Egyptian culture. Considering Duel Monsters was based off the Egyptian Shadow Games of the past.

"Well I dunno... With the resentment I harbored for a while, you reminded me of Set. The God of violence, storms, and destruction." You openly admitted, realizing just how ridiculously stupid you were sounding.

"...That's a fairly accurate description of what I've done over the past couple years. I wouldn't be surprised one bit." Seto admitted begrudgingly. But, you could hear the happiness of a potential new title that you might bestow upon him... Considering how ludicrous and illogical the last ones were.

"Well. Set also was a defender. Hired by Ra to protect what might be lost... So I dunno... You're my Set." Rambling at this point, you could hear Seto laugh softly on the other end. He was relieved. Extremely relieved about you.

"Then I'll be your Set. I'll create every damn storm, cause as much chaos as I can- to figure this out. Until then... Play that violin. Create new pieces... But don't make it obvious. Saiku might have someone watching you." Seto murmured. You nodded, humming as Seto hung up. His voice still lingering in your ear, as you heard a small knock at the door.

Mokuba. Right on time as always.

You sighed, glancing down at the violin. The Stradivarius. His violin... Mokuba put a bologna sandwich as he has on the table. The violin case was placed gently in your lap. He sat on the bed, looking at you with concern. But- to his amazement... You opened up the violin case. Brushing your fingers over the ebony wood, you suddenly felt the need to make sure you held this violin close. Closer then anything you had ever been given…

But it’d be too obvious if you accepted it now.

Shutting the case, you gently pushed it back to Mokuba. Shaking your head in rejection. Mokuba looked at you wide eyed, as you looked at him with a somber look.

“What is it?” You grumpily asked. It looked like he was about to say something, but quickly shut his mouth. However, he gave you a heartwarming smile instead and didn’t give you a time to react as you heard the camera shutter once more. Damn, he was quick as snapping those photos.

“Nothin. Just happy is all. I’ll be back tomorrow.” Mokuba smiled, before two individuals entered the hospital room. One of them was a tall man, dressed in a black suit with glasses on. The other, a casual looking doctor.

_‘Hello, Ms. Kaiba. My name is Isono. This is a personal Kaiba Co. Doctor, and he will be taking over your case from now on.’_ Isono spoke quickly, as your language skills were lacking due to the absence of practice from Jin. But, since Isono was someone you had seen around obsessively around Seto before… You felt more at ease.

_‘Thank you. I appreciate you takin the time to look at my case.’_ You smiled softly at the doctor, who nodded at you curtly. Isono stood at the door, making sure no other nurse would enter. Knowing that this was a call Seto probably made, the doctor continued to look at you. Poking and prodding as all the other doctors did.

_‘She is extremely malnourished, and requires a few more days to acquire the weight back.’_ He simply reported to Isono, who nodded. As the doctor left, you sighed. Feeling much more safer with Seto’s security guard, you nudged Mokuba’s leg through the sheets.

“What’s up?” He asked, as you gestured for the case in Mokuba’s hands.

“Give it back. I need to play.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd the fight begins! I'm super excited for how this story is beginning to turn out. No, that doesn't mean that the story is ending soon. But, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's commented- and reads this! I'm really happy, reading all the comments all the time- and everyone is super nice. But, just a warning- my new job has me working crazy hours. So I might not be able to post as often as I do.
> 
> Thanks again!  
> -Zavier001


	10. The Second Duet

Reading through the specs of the game one more time, Seto sat in his small office in the back of the stand set up at PAX West. He had taken the time to assure the CEO of the American Trading company that instead of waiting for the PAX’s to end- that the debut would fall on those dates instead. Mr. Smith had thought the idea to be brilliant.

It was going to be the business trip Seto was going to take you on.

Instead here he was, huddled in the back office on the couch. Slaving away at the code, since someone had prominently broke the game on purpose to see if they could. They pointed out as well, that the soundtrack sounded choppy. Not very well put together… Since it wasn’t your work, of course it didn’t sound as good as it did.

_‘I have enough music for the entire demo already.’_ Your voice rang in his head, like a plague almost. Taunting Seto, and only served to frustrate him more. He raked his hand through the brown tresses, messing his bangs up a little. There was a time, when the CEO believed that he didn’t need anyone to run his business. So why was your face constantly bothering him in the midst of an important game conference…?

A small platter of caramel was placed on the table besides the couch.

The small clink was enough to make Seto look up at one of his guards, who was letting go of the dish with an expressionless face. But it was obvious, that whoever spoke over the radio in his ear- it was an order to be followed. However, Seto couldn’t resist opening one of the chewy candies and popping one in his mouth. The smooth velvety feeling just soothing that small craving he’d always had since Mokuba bought him that first candy a while back.

However, the dish was soon moved by the woman he currently despised. Watching with resentment, Saiku moved the dish across the room- and tossed the candies in the trash.

“Sugar is bad for you, and bad for the smile. Eat after the conference.” She lectured uncaringly, and sat down next to him. Seto took a deep breath, as it had taken a lot out of him in that very moment not to fire her on the spot.

“It keeps me calm. You have no right to dictate what I eat.” He hissed, Seto’s fingers typing away on the computer. Saiku simply sighed, and leaned on his shoulder- watching him type away.

“I know. But, I also know that you sent Isono to guard that woman.” She whispered, Seto ignoring her attempt to jab at him. It was the only thing he could do, and since the general manager of the hospital couldn’t deny a multi-billion dollar CEO… It was an easy fit.

“So what if I did? It’s illegal what you’re doing.” He shot back, no emotion in his voice what so ever. Seto felt cold… Back to his normal self, as if you had never come into his life. It caused unease in Seto’s mindset.

“Not really. I’m just simply using my connections to make sure my position in this company is clear. It’s not like the staff respects you, or respects her anyways. They all listen to me.” Saiku shrugged, knowing full well what she meant. Seto understood her threat completely- the company wasn’t his… At the core. Ultimately- it was something he would have to change. Starting now.

“Actually- to be fairly frank… I was thinking about purging my company.” Seto openly admitted, a small bit of amusement in the back of his voice. He didn’t have to look- to know that Saiku wasn’t happy about his declaration.

“If you did that- it would take months to develop a new staff. To purge your company, would mean months worth of profit lost. To re-do everything you’ve worked up to at this point, would be considered suicide.” That was it- Seto had enough of Saiku sinking her claws into something that didn’t belong to her. With that being said, immediately- Seto began to dial a number on his phone.

“I really should’ve done this from the beginning.” He grumbled to himself- knowingly that this all could’ve been solved much longer before Seto had ever met you… He just dragged you into his messes.

“Yes- you remember that list I gave you correct?” Seto asked his secretary, who gave a small ‘Mhmm’ in response. He sighed- knowing how much this was going to affect the company… But if it meant starting a new, and building something better than the last… He would be more than happy to do it.

“I believe it’s time to set things straight.”

 

Thanks to Seto’s new doctor- you were released the following day. Practically dragging Mokuba out of the hospital- the younger brother was actually quite frightened by the amount of passion and determination in your eyes… It matched Seto’s. When he was on a winning streak. The violin was held in your left, as Mokuba could barely get you to sit still while you two got in the car.

Already- you were on your phone, calling Marrer and making plans… Scary plans. Plans that Mokuba only thought Seto could come up with.

“Yeah- I know it’s crazy for a composer to play their own pieces. But trust me on this. We need to finish the rest of that game soundtrack today, and record all the final pieces before the end of the conference.” You explained to Marrer, who took a deep breath on the other line.

“I have the entire orchestra here, even Minu. What would you like us to do?” He asked, almost cautiously as you pointed to Mokuba the direction you wanted to go. It almost scared you to death about how fast he was going in his fancy red sports car and how easily Mokuba was drifting from street to street… Considering he lived in Tokyo most of the time- you shouldn’t have been so surprised.

“Play. Record, and play as much as you can. I’ll be there in-“ Glancing at Mokuba, he held up two fingers to you.

“Two minutes.”

You had just hung up, and held the violin close… How long- had it been since you last had your hands on this instrument? Five… Six years? When was the last time you played…? With Seto. That was the last time you played. But for an actual concert, an actual performance…? Not since you collapsed that one time.

But, you jumped when your phone started to ring. You were confused as to why it was from Kaiba Corp.- but picked up the phone anyways.

_‘Hello? Is this Miss. Kaiba?’_ It was Seto’s secretary. Once again, thankful for Jin’s teachings- you confirmed it was you.

_‘Oh good. I just wanted to let you know, that Mr. Kaiba has requested that you be promoted to the Head Musical Director. Also- that he will be requesting your presence when conducting interviews.’_ Blinking at the news, you weren’t quite sure what to make of it.

_‘…Wait. Why?’_ Was all you could manage, unsure as to how to handle the news… More importantly- what in the world had Seto done?

_‘He decided that in the interest of the company, that a new staff be hired- saved for the select few that he believed would be a good addition to the board. That also includes you- Miss. Kaiba.’_ She blatantly stated.

_‘What?!’_ The supposed Japanese you spoke, came out in half English- and half Japanese. It was an odd mixture that caused Mokuba to pull off to the orchestra house in confusion.

_‘That is Mr. Kaiba’s desicsion, and I will stand by it. Please let him know that you will too… You’ve made yourself quite the reputation. Personally- I’m glad you were the one he chose to keep.’_ The small compliment confused you- as eventually you heard the ‘click’ of the phone call ending.

“Alright. We’re here.” Mokuba stated, his eyes glazed over almost… Did he know what Seto just did? How badly he just… What position Seto just put himself in?

“Thank you so much… Are you going to stay? Or are you going to go back to Tokyo?” You asked, ready to reach for the door before Mokuba took a deep breath.

“…Seto’s replacing everyone again, isn’t he?” There it was… The confirmation, that Seto had done this before in the past. Being in America, you weren’t quite sure what Seto had done up until this point. Mokuba however- had seen this coming, a mile away.

“He did.” You could only reply. He nodded, sighing and leaned back in the driver’s seat.

“Before you go in there… I need you to know something.” Mokuba murmured, causing your gut to twist- as a bad feeling settled over your spine.

“Seto’s done this before… As I’ve mentioned. But he did that once- and vowed never to do it again. He’s dealt with shareholders capturing people he’s cared about many times.” You noticed the familiar glint in Mokuba’s dark eyes… It dawned on you, Mokuba had stuck Seto in the same position you put him in. Probably more than once.

“Now that being said… Seto isn’t exactly the calmest of people. He may look neutral all the time- but I guarantee you… He can be extremely dramatic. Seto knows how cause the most chaos, and the hardest wars to fight… Don’t be like Atem. Please, don’t leave my brother behind in pursuit of what you want.” Mokuba explained, a pained look in his eyes. You weren’t quite sure, what to make of this information. Of course, you knew Seto had that dramatic flair- everyone does… But you had never met this ‘Atem’ and never heard of him up until this point.

“What do you mean, Atem left Seto behind?”

“Remember, that champion in the photos at Seto’s house?” Mokuba reminded you, as vaguely you could remember the spiky-hair male that Seto was always second place in. That small feeling of companionship, and admiration… More importantly, the amount of respect Seto had for him.

“Yeah. I remember.” Almost to yourself, Mokuba nodded.

“That was Atem.”

“But wait- wasn’t that the champion that Seto played against a few days ago?” You asked, only then realizing that the two looked extremely similar- except the bone structure of their faces. Mokuba watched your wheels turn, but wasn’t too surprised when you just couldn’t figure out the last pieces of this weird puzzle you managed to get yourself stuck into.

“No… Atem… He left.” Immediately, you were brought back to the thought of the small grave- next to the Dark Magician. It was then, you realized what Mokuba was trying to convey without sounding so… Cheesy.

“Mokuba. I promise- I won’t ever leave your brother’s side. Be it in friendship, or in a relationship.” Swearing, suddenly- there was a familiar Duel Monster card held in front of your face… It was a Blue Eyes. Mokuba was looking at you with a conviction- a goal.

“Good. Because Seto’s about to lose an important match because of Saiku. After rebuilding his staff- and rebuilding his life again… Saiku took this from Seto’s deck without him noticing, and had thrown it in the trash. When you’re finished here- I need you to go to that conference. Break a couple rules.” Mokuba smirked, as you took the card in your hands gingerly… Of course Saiku would do something like this.

“So- you know how my brother opened a school specifically for dueling right?”

“…You’re kidding me.” Grumbling, you put the card in the violin case. Mokuba shook his head- obviously serious about the subject.

“Well… No I’m not. Supposedly, it’s going to be the ‘champion’ from the school.”

 

Seto sighed contently, enjoying himself a piece of caramel after another panel. Silence… It was nice. Why he hadn’t done this already- Seto didn’t know why his hesitation was so strong… Perhaps it was because you were still in that hospital until his secretary had told him of your release.

Of course- that meant Saiku was the first to go.

_‘This isn’t the last you’ll hear of me! I promise you that!!’_ She had screamed at Seto, when his guards practically threw her out of the conference. He was just about to open up his laptop to fix those damn bugs when the phone beside him began to buzz. Confused, Seto glanced at it only to notice file after file being sent to his drop box…

More confused than before, Seto opened up the file.

It was the full soundtrack to the game… Every music piece, every sound, every boss music. You had even put in compilations for each area for the demo, and trailer. Just listening to the familiar melodies immediately set him to work- considering now that half of his gaming staff was gone. But, each piece fit into the never ending puzzle perfectly…

However, he did notice that the final boss music had changed just slightly.

There was a low violin solo in the background- if Seto strained enough to listen to it. Subtle, hidden… Melodically- it was a hidden duet within each note. He could hear, that the melody was saying _‘I will cherish this moment forever.’_ But, as Seto went along with each piece, he discovered the same melody secretly played through-out the entire game. In different places, in different time signatures… So very well hidden.

The game was titled ‘Duel Monster Travels’. A MMORPG, mass-multiplayer-online role-playing-game. The player can customize their type, their academy they attended for Duel Monsters, and the spirit monster that accompanies them constantly. Quests, monsters, mass bosses… It was a game that took three years to make- and even though the music was never par with what he wanted, here you were. In his way, again…

Defiant. As always.

Suddenly, a skype call popped up on his screen from Marrer. In the middle of him coding, Seto chose to ignore it- seeing as how there was so much more work to do. Then, his phone began to blow up. Mokuba was furiously texting him things such as-

‘Don’t be an ass!’

‘Pick up the call!’

‘You want to!’

And so forth. Small little sentences littered Seto’s phone, as he growled in frustration. Finally- he gave up, and accepted the now ever present skype call from Marrer. The video feed showed up on his computer, with Mokuba largely in the screen. Beaming. However, the sound behind him… Wasn’t quite as good as he had hoped.

Seto could hear what felt over a thousand noises going on at once. Chaotic concert and horn blasts fill the hall… A couple squeaks here and there. Finally there were three clicks of the conductor, and Mokuba moved- winking as he did.

It was at that moment- Seto was thankful that Mokuba was a photographer.

The screen had perfectly zoomed into your seat. Where the Stradivarius lay on your right shoulder, the bow in your left. Hair pulled back in a messy bun, and you didn’t even have any of the music in front of you… You didn’t need to- _you wrote it._ Legs crossed, but Seto could only sit there, and cross his arms as he watched with mild amusement.

Immediately, Seto recognized the music. But, with a different chord. It was your version of his ‘Nameless Feeling’. Soft, sweet swells filled the air, as Seto could easily hear what you were trying to convey to him.

_‘I miss you.’_

There weren’t any somber tones, compared to the last time he played with you. Now- you had taken a message that wasn’t ever meant to be heard and played it in a way that you thought you would never be able to play again. Just watching your hand stiffly move up and down the neck of his violin brought a small amount of relief to Seto.

_‘Let me cherish you.’_

Suddenly though, the music took a darker turn. Minors replaced the majors instantly, as the music became almost demented. A way, to express the guilt over the party- to express how you wished you could do more for Seto… Inwardly, it gave the CEO a more fleeting feeling then what it should have been. It was your curse, to put him in front of everyone else. Including yourself.

Perhaps, it was the hate that you harbored towards him when Saiku was near. It just made Seto more relieved that you managed to put it in music.

You finally- _finally-_ were being selfish.

However, Seto found that the music had died down. All- except for you. The melody he had found in the sound track was the one you played loud and clear for him now. Flourishing majors, as your music demanded the attention away from the orchestra. Loud, and clear, as you defined your feelings into notes that you knew were words that would probably never be spoken out loud to the public. It was beautiful, it was endearing, it was demanding…

It was the music Seto always listened to.

He could hear it, each memory you played out. The first time you two met, on the train station. How Seto made you feel so uncomfortable that first few days. Then, the light plucks of lunch. The staccatos of dinners… Swells of snow. Swells, upon swells of snow. Moments when you laid in it with him, and how you just enjoyed his weight. Minors mixed with majors to convey how you felt when you were sick… The sadness.

How you felt when you lost him. How you felt laying there, day by day in misery of your own thoughts. Your own rabbit hole without him.

But- suddenly it all stopped.

Seto was brought back to reality, as he watched you hiss in pain. Your hand had cramped up from too many fluent movements as Seto saw you curse and hold the limb. Marrer had to stop the orchestra, and Mokuba ran over to make sure you were alright. Though he could barely hear the words- Seto was still struck with that feeling he always got when watching you play… Even if that first concert was so long ago.

It was a duet, played by a single person.

“No- I’m okay… Just God damn hand is all.” You had grumbled, flexing each digit to make sure each one worked correctly. Seto couldn’t help but smile at your stupidity… Trying to play in a way that would cause you pain.

“You’re stupid for trying to play like that.” Seto insulted, as it resulted in a smile from you. A bright, unwavering smile.

“Well then- you should book me a private flight.” You challenged back. Seto raised an eye brow at you with skepticism. What in the world made you behave like that?

“Why should I- for your spoiled ass?” He scoffed, as suddenly- there was something more important. Much more important than anything Seto had ever needed.

His Blue Eyes, was in your hands. Pulled out of the violin case.

“I’ll see you in two hours.” Seto only replied, not even giving you a chance to answer back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter- and the long time in between the last update. This job is working me to the bone- and I absolutely love it! Thank you for always reading, and thank you for your lovely comments!  
> -Zavier001


	11. The Blue Eyes and the Ring

Stepping out of Seto’s private plane, you grimaced at the overcast that greeted you in New York. Immediately, Jin handed you a black umbrella with his white glove. Isono following close behind- you weren’t prepared for the sudden flurry of paparazzi that surrounded the carpet that the airport had provided. Shielding your face from the cameras, you pulled the umbrella closer while listening to the chaos around you.

“Is it true that you wanted the attention from Seto Kaiba because you’re an invalid?!”

“Did you use Seto Kaiba for his fame?!”

“What do you think of Saiku taking your place at Kaiba’s side?!”

And so forth. Simply ignoring them, it brought you back to the times you had spent traveling the country with your orchestra. You were almost there to the door, with the guards surrounding you till a particular question was yelled at you.

“Is it true that Saiku used your allergy against you to take you out of the picture?” It caught your attention, causing you look back at the young man who was looking at you with a fierce conviction. Your low heels clicked dully against the carpet- walking towards this reporter, as you had changed into the white dress that Seto lent you a while back.

The young reporter seemed fairly smart, as he held his microphone to you- hoping to get an answer. You simply smiled at him-

“Well, I don’t think she realized I was allergic. Saiku simply prefers peanut products. But yes, I believe that was her intent.” Answering only to him, the crowd went wild- as the young man had been sucked into the mess before he could answer anything else. You walked back into the airport, sighing at the mess you just started… But with what Saiku had taken from you- it was only the beginning of what you had instore for her.

 

Seto watched from his phone as the crowd went wild upon your statement. He scoffed at your little performance, noting just how far you had come from a few weeks ago. Something the duelist noticed was the fact that there was a Duel Monsters locket around your neck. Matching his and Mokuba’s. Though, Seto shouldn’t have been as surprised, considering Jin and Isono were escorting you here.

“Hey man! You ready to get your duel on?!” An excited young man’s voice came from further back in the stage. Seto glanced over to see a spunky young man in a red jacket. His brown hair was messy, as Seto noted one of his eyes was red and the other green… Peculiar.

“I assume you’re the ‘champion’ from my school?” Seto only answered back, as the young man gave a flourish of energy and nodded.

“That’s right! I’m the one and only Jaden Yuki!” Jaden smiled brightly, as the energy he just gave off was almost a little over whelming… He reminded Seto of you. In a way. Slipping his old duel disk on his left forearm, Seto nodded at him. While- it wasn’t Atem that he was dueling, Seto knew better then to let that stop him from others to enjoy the game.

“Well then, Jaden Yuki, I hope you can withstand the forces of my Blue Eyes.” Seto only smirked at him, causing the young duelist to beam in excitement.

“Oh that was so awesome! This is going to be an awesome duel!” He was practically bouncing with glee. So much energy… Seto wasn’t quite sure if he was like that in the Battle City tournament. Though, Seto could thoroughly remember how dramatic the whole thing had been… With Obelisk gone- to be fairly honest to himself- his deck had never been quite the same.

Seto had almost forgotten that you had his other Blue Eyes… He would have to buy time, or at least enough of it, for you to get the card here. The Champion was also wondering- did Pegasus ever make rules against people giving you cards in the middle of Duels…? Was that even legal?

“Hey. I don’t wanna start, until you have your full deck.” Jaden suddenly sprouted, his entire demeanor changing to a more serious tone. Seto glanced down at him, wondering just how much this ‘champion’ knew.

 

You were staring at the Blue Eyes that lay in the locket that Jin had given you. It was as if staring at an instrument of your own. There were small scratch marks, and an indent where Seto’s fingers would normal hold it. Telling you just how much Seto really used this card. With no sleeve protector, the card itself was worse for wear… Which made it all that more precious.

“This card is really important to him… Isn’t it?” You asked aimlessly, not really expecting an answer from anyone. It was just you in the back seat of the car, with Isono driving and Jin back at Seto’s hotel. Fixing the reservations so that you would stay with him. Mokuba had stayed back in Domino City to make sure that none of Saiku’s personnel made an attempt at the mansion again. You were admiring his card, when you heard the familiar ring tone of your smart phone.

It was a familiar number that you couldn’t remember why you had it in the first place.

“Hello, this is Miss Kaiba.” You answered professionally, as you recalled that Seto told you a while ago to answer your phone as such.

“ _Hello Miss Kaiba. I hope you’re happy._ ” A voice hissed on the other end, as you sighed and groaned in annoyance.

“ _Saiku… This is becoming old._ ” Grumbling in annoyance, you wondered how she even acquired your phone number anyways. Of course, now your Japanese was basically on point considering that Jin just drilled you nonstop on the plane ride over. Considering you used it daily now, there was no such thing as applied use and practice. Just conversations, and discussions.

“ _You have meddled for far too long. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!_ ” Saiku growled, as you could hear rustling and wind on the other end of the phone. What in the world was she doing, you couldn’t help but wonder.

“ _…Killing is illegal internationally. You know that right? I’d hate to see a wonderful business woman such as yourself be jailed for something like… Attempted murder._ ” Flashbacks to the reporter at the airport made a smirk appear on your face.

“ _…Don’t be kind to me. Kindness gets you nowhere in my world._ ” Interesting, as it seemed, you could tell that something wasn’t quite right with this conversation… You glanced around, seeing that you were in an intersection just before the conference. Trusting your American gut, you asked Isono to stop the car. Per your request, you were let off across the street.

“ _Paranoid much?_ ”

Spinning around on the phone, you couldn’t help but quickly scan the crowd. She was here, watching, somewhere… You’d have to be super vigilant to get inside. Saiku was smart, she could be anywhere. The only thing you knew was that she had you in her sights, and a pit of nerves were going in your stomach.

 

Seto couldn’t help but pace back and forth behind the curtain. Technically the duel was supposed to go on in the next thirty minutes and there was no sign from you that you were near. Jaden watched with mild amusement as Seto was actually thinking- and mildly worrying- about someone other than himself. But then both of them heard something far worse.

A blood curling scream.

“Oh my God! Someone’s going to jump off the building!!”

Jaden didn’t even waste a moment, as Seto was close behind. They bolted out the backstage door and pushed through the momentous crowd that was trying to get to the same place they were. But because it was such a large floor, Seto found himself more herded out of the venue rather than making his way through it.

It wasn’t until he was out, away from the crowd and trying to find which building it was. In the midst of all the chaos, Seto’s phone began to ring. Looking at the number, he noticed it was yours.

“Where the hell are you? It’s already bad enough that-“

“L…Look up S-Seto.” Your trembling voice came in quietly.

Up he looked… There you were. On the edge of the building, your bare toes barely off the edge. Phone in hand, your hair blowing in the wind of the tall building.

“You stupid idiot!! Get down from there before I come up and do it myself!” Seto snapped, nearly yelling into his phone as he could hear you take a very shaky breath. He watched with almost horror, as you were seemingly pushed by someone in the back.

“D-didn’t you do this f… for someone in the D-duelist Kingdom once?” Your voice came, after he heard another. A click could be heard in the background… Seto began to run inside, pushing past all of the people thinking rapidly. An elevator would be too slow, so it’d have to be the stairs…

Is this how Atem felt, when he had done the same thing for Mokuba…?

Terror. Desperation… Caring. Friendship. If Seto dare think it… Love almost. He began to run up the stairs listening to your scared voice.

“Don’t eve…even try to save me… I’m j-just an invalid.” Forced words, sobs in between. You were so scared, and it was Seto’s fault for dragging you into this absolutely crazy mess. All you ever wanted was to write music, to play music… Not to stand on top of a building with a gun in your back.

 

The wind bit at your skin, as you felt your balance wobble on the edge of what felt to you was the world. You could feel the cold metal dig in uncomfortably into the small of your back. Saiku confidently held the trigger, threatening to shoot you if need be. You didn’t even see her coming in the crowd as the gun came as a surprise… But you could see it.

Saiku was losing her sanity.

Disheveled black hair fluttered in the wind, her clothes wrinkled, and there were scratch marks all over her skin. The night alone seemed to have driven her mad. For what, you didn’t know and you couldn’t ask with her telling you to repeat words that even you didn’t believe. But, you could hear Seto breathing heavily as he was running up the stairs to get to you.

But you couldn’t help it, as tears ran down your face and your body shook in fear. By Gods, you had been exposed to guns often. Your Dad was military, your Uncle shot for practice… Never, had you ever had a gun pointed at you though. It was terrifying. The height, the people down below, holding the phone close to your hands.

“…Talk to me Seto… Please.” You whimpered softly, hoping Saiku wouldn’t hear you above the wind. Seto only scoffed in return.

“I’ll be there to catch you. _I will be there.”_ The words were choppy, and spoke between breaths- but more meaningful then the words spoken before the party that caused this entire mess.

_‘I won’t be able to catch you, if you fall.’_

_“Why doesn’t he speak to me that way?! Why will he only speak to you with meaningful words?!”_ Saiku screeched behind you, pushing the gun further into your back causing you to take a small step forwards… Nearly to your death.

_“Saiku! We can talk about this! Just let me down, and we can all sit down over tea!”_ You didn’t know why you thought of something irrational. At this point, Saiku was a criminal. Driven insane by something, and finally- you had the gall to ask what it was.

_“No! No, no, no, no, no!! I won’t rest till my mission is complete!!”_ She screamed, her voice cracking. However, you looked back at her- panic strewn all over her once porcelain face.

_“…What mission Saiku? What mission would you risk going to jail for?”_ Finally. Answers. The answers you’ve been waiting for since you’ve met her. Seto was still climbing the stairs, as you could hear him breathing harder. It also made you wonder just how fit Seto was- regardless of the fact that it seemed that he sat at his desk all the time.

Saiku on the other hand, was struck. She didn’t know how to answer your question, didn’t know what to think of herself. Till you saw her clutch some gold ring on a rope that lay around her neck… When had she gotten that giant thing? Why hadn’t you noticed it earlier? Then you thought- ‘Oh right. The gun.’

The necklace itself was a pendent that lay on her chest. It was a gold ring with some sort of triangle in the middle that had an engraved golden eye at it’s center. Small spikes were held by rings around the outer rim… To you, the necklace seemed almost… Egyptian.

But, as Saiku fingered it- the look in her eyes changed. You saw it, and it frightened you to no end. Instead of panic, her eyes morphed with bloodlust. A strong desire for revenge. Her composure grew terrifyingly steady, as Saiku held the gun up to your head- moving it away from the small of your back.

_“You. Dead.”_

A cold feeling swept over you, as you couldn’t help but close your eyes tightly. Blackness covering your sight. You flinched when a gunshot was heard, and expected to fall over the side of the building. Wincing, you slowly opened your eyes and found a more terrifying sight then you wanted to ever see.

_“Seto!!”_

 

Cold. The feeling of laying in the snow, with you. That’s all that Seto could reminisce as everything became a blur. He wasn’t expecting to find Saiku up at the rooftop, covered in the darkness that came from the Millennium Items. If anything, Seto wasn’t expecting to see any of those ancient relics to be in the modern world again.

But most of all, Seto wasn’t too be surprised when he jumped in front of you- and felt something pierce his stomach with pain he had never experienced before.

His body felt tired, running up all those stairs. Numb, and yet so sensitive… When had he begun to become so soft? Though, as Seto fell backwards he could hear you screaming his name. It seemed that people were smarter than he had been, as police men stormed the roof as a helicopter sailed above with a spot light on Saiku.

You were trying so hard, to get through the mess and managed to snatch the Millennium Ring from Saiku. Though, Seto knew you had no idea what that item in particular meant… He knew that the darkness that lay in the Ring wouldn’t affect you. However, Seto could feel his body being sat up and pressure put on his stomach.

_“_ Let me through!! Let me see him!! _”_ He heard you scream, never had Seto heard you so desperate. So desolate… So sad. But finally, when the fog lifted from his head- Seto managed to take a deep breath. Hissing in pain as the policemen tended to his wounds and wrapped it up tightly.

“Ma’am, we have to get him to a hospital before he bleeds out. Now, if you would like to meet us there that would be fine. However, we can only allow relatives and family to come with us.” The policeman tried to calm you down only to earn a snap, that even made Seto laugh painfully as he was lifted into the helicopter.

“I’m his fucking _fiancé,_ you better let me join!!”

 

In the hospital, Seto couldn’t help but sit stiffly in the uncomfortable bed. Typing away with pain, he found it hard to breathe. Silence was filling the hospital room as the sun was beginning to set, illuminating your panting body in the door way with a beautiful orange glow.

“You’re so fucking stupid!! You know that?!” You practically yelled at the top of your lungs, causing Seto to take a deep breath. He really wasn’t in the mood for this right now- since the press was all over this fiasco, Seto had to fix the game coding again and figure out what the hell he was going to do for the now prolonged Duel that was supposed to happen today… So much to do because of you.

“I’d like to say the same to you.” He grumbled, as you pulled up a chair from the corner and sat next to him… Inwardly, Seto was just relieved that you seemed unharmed.

“Fine… We’re both stupid… How’s that, Mr. Grumpy?” There you went again, those ridiculous nicknames… But now, to Seto, it was a welcome change rather than an annoying prick in his side.

“Mr. Grumpy is an illogical name. I’d prefer you call me ‘Hero’.” Seto smirked at you, as you returned it with a tired look of your own. There was a small silence, as he took it as his que to continue typing. After a while, perhaps you were thinking, Seto heard you sniffle. Glancing up, he saw that tears were coming out of your eyes and you were frantically trying to wipe them away. Seto sighed, and closed his laptop before awkwardly pulling you to him.

He patted your back slowly, unsure of what to do. Seto didn’t know the first thing about helping someone who cried… Not to mention this was the first time he had seen you cry in the first place.

“I-I’m so sorry…” He heard you sob, and listened to you cry it over and over again. Your body shook, trembling with fear from the relief. You knew, you knew that he was horrible with people sobbing or crying. It wasn’t something the great Seto Kaiba was good with. Emotions. Nether were you, and so you were utterly confused why you were a blubbering mess in the arms of the man you thought you’d never see again.

But, it made you laugh through your sobs as you felt Seto tense up and awkwardly try to find a ‘human’ way to comfort you. Even stealing a glance at his face, was a face of confusion and utter bewilderment in his eyes. Seto was thoroughly confused as to how to comfort the crying human in his arms.

Eventually you managed to stop crying, and sit back up in the chair- sniffling as you did.

“Gods… Jeez… I’m sorry…” You muttered, rubbing your sore eyes. Seto just nodded, unsure how to answer. You could tell, he was recovering from the sudden human interaction.

“I got that the last couple times.” Seto could only reply, though there was a dull ache from where the bullet wound was.

“Why do you have to be such a jerk…?” Laughing as you spoke it, the CEO could only shake his head at your question. Only you, could joke about that insult.

“Why do you have to be a pain in my ass all the time?” Seto shot back, as you gave him a small glare.

“I dunno, it’s my job.” The words stung more than Seto wanted them to… Why? Though the feeling was fleeting as you pulled out the thing he wanted to see the least at the moment. The golden ring was placed on his lap, the spikes jingling as it was laid on the blanket.

“Set… What is this thing, that makes good people bad?” You asked, your nickname for him leaving your lips. For once, it was a nickname Seto would gladly enjoy.

“…That’s a long story.” Seto murmured, gently picking up the old artifact that he thought he’d never see again. But, if this Ring was here… Perhaps, _perhaps,_ the other artifacts had returned as well. You gave him a look, as you exaggerated looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

“Well, I have time. Since I-uh… Apparently declared myself as your fiancé…” You grumbled, and shut the door behind you. Seto sighed at your determination, and your will to stand in his way as always.

“…I’m not a person for telling stories. Especially one that I don’t know the full one to. You’d have to ask Yugi, for the full thing.” Seto explained, and yet you still nodded.

“Tell me then… I have all the time in the world for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, for another short chapter. But- now everything will calm down after this and the fluff will return! Thanks for reading as always, and thank you for all the wonderful comments I always receive!  
> -Zavier001


	12. Confession

Seto wasn’t quite sure where to begin, that whole ordeal happened more than a decade ago. While, yes, he was… Friends… With some of the old people from high school- there was only a portion that he knew. What Yugi had gone through… Seto couldn’t explain that one. Though, he did find it weird that you took it upon yourself to sit at the end of the bed- on the ends of his legs.

You fingered the Ring, seemingly etching the artifact into your mind. Playing with each spike delicately, you couldn’t help but wonder… How long had Saiku been under the influence of this Ring- if it was as bad as Seto was letting on. Not to mention, since when had spiritual influence been part of Seto’s life? It didn’t exactly seem like something the CEO would openly admit… You could imagine the headlines now-

“CEO obsessed with Egyptian artifact…” Or something along the lines of that.

“Alright… It’s not something I’d like to openly admit. So I’ll only tell you this one time. Don’t ask me again.” Seto grumbled after some thought, and tried to reach for his smart phone on the night stand. He grimaced as his body sorely reminded him that he had been shot- and you reached for it yourself and gave it to Seto.

He shifted what seemed to be through some old photos, before showing you one. It was of a couple people you recognized. Jonouchi, Yugi- you could now assume that’s who the spiky haired one was- a young man with pale hair dressed in a purple vest… Seto as well in the back. Looking as grumpy as ever.

“This was from Battle City. The person you see on the right is Marik… He had an artifact known as the Millennium Rod. But- if you look at Yugi’s neck…” You stopped listening to him for a moment to see that there was some sort of upside down 3-D triangle with the same eye etched in the middle.

“That, is the Millennium Puzzle…” Seto trailed off, watching you put the pieces together. He had always known you were logical so trying to explain all of this hocus pocus business to you seemed fairly… Farfetched.

“Are these artifacts connected somehow…?” Asking softly, Seto nodded in response to you. However, he judged your reactions based off of how he should talk to you. So far, you seemed pretty… Accepting.

“The Millennium Puzzle held the spirit of an ancient pharaoh… That is who Atem is.” Seto chose his words carefully, and watch your face turn into one of confusion. Then thought, back to confusion… You were trying to wrap your head around this. Spirits existed? How become you couldn’t see them then? Eventually, Seto watched as you began to rub your temples in frustration- closing your eyes in trying to even comprehend this.

But, what grounded you was the fact that Seto told you this… To you, and you knew this deep down- Seto was serious about everything he talked about.

“I am a descendant of one of the servants that followed Atem. Apparently, as you know, Duel Monsters came from an Egyptian ritual of dispelling Ka into stone slabs.” Seto slowly continued, causing you to bite your lip. Nodding, you could barely keep up. No wonder you could relate him to Set… He actually _was_ Egyptian.

“Ohh-kay. I’m having a hard time believing this… But considering what happened to Saiku because of this Ring… I shouldn’t have a hard time.” You grumbled, as Seto sighed. He knew he was blasting large chunks in your logic to the world. That what it did to his too.

“Now, those are the basic facts. If you have a hard time understanding it now… It’s only going to be harder in the longer part of the story.” Seto offered his olive branch, but as usual- you didn’t take it. Defiant. As always.

“Stop being so dramatic… I’ll catch up.” You grumbled, as it earned a kick from underneath the sheets from his foot… Which both were becoming numb because of your weight.

“I am not dramatic.” Seto shot back sharply, causing you to full on laugh at his lie.

“Says the one who wears shoulder pads in his jacket to make himself look ‘cooler’.” You mocked, hearing a ‘tch’ from Seto.

“Do you want me to tell you or not?” He sharply asked, as you sighed from laughter and nodded. Giving him a heartwarming smile.

“In high school, Duel Monsters was just a new game. A new card game for people and collectors to enjoy. Pegasus was, begrudgingly, a genius creating this. However, sometime before I met Yugi- he assembled the artifact known as the Millennium Puzzle. That was when I first learned of a fourth Blue Eyes.” Seto grumbled almost, as if reminiscing a battle that he felt bad about. You could see his eyes clouding over in guilt and nostalgia.

“After that Duel, was when I first met the King of Games. Atem. At the time, I didn’t know it was someone other than Yugi… I think, Yugi didn’t even know it himself. Even during the time I got myself captured in a virtual game…” You couldn’t help think how crazy it would be, that Seto got himself captured in a game that _he_ made.

“Because it wasn’t till the Duelist Kingdom… When I did the same thing you just did.” He murmured, as flashbacks of the high edge and the wind biting at your skin caused shivers to crawl up your spine. It also reminded you of Mokuba, the look that crossed his face when you were getting out of the hospital.

“Mokuba had been captured by Pegasus, because he promised the shareholders that belonged to my father’s company at the time, that he could control me. If he did, then Pegasus would profit from it.” There it was, Mokuba had put Seto in the same position you had put him in. You watched as Seto began to explain basically what happened in his high school years.

How Atem had convinced Seto not to jump that duel, and how he promised to save Mokuba for Seto. When his soul was taken for not considering how powerful Pegasus’s Toon Deck was, due to the power of the Millennium Eye. After that, Seto didn’t really recall what it was like being in this “Shadow Realm” … Just a lot of pain. But, he was saved again by Atem and Yugi.

Apparently, after this was explained to him, it was then that Yugi had first discovered the spirit of the Pharaoh. But, Seto was busy preparing the next Battle City. It was then he acquired Obelisk, one of the three God Cards. How he found out about being a decedent of one of Atem’s court participants of the past.

It was destiny. So Seto finally believed after the Battle City duel.

“But, nothing good came from those Millennium Items. Mokuba had been sent to the Shadow Realm more times than I had. The Rod took away a lot of Yugi’s friends, the Necklace foretold the destiny of the Pharaoh. The Eye took my soul. The Key nearly wiped my own mind… That’s why, especially if the Ring is back, something is certain to follow. The Ring is probably the most dangerous Millennium Item of them all.” Seto sighed, glancing down as you handed him the artifact. In the past, he had never had one. Not in high school, not in his adult career.

“What about the Puzzle?” You couldn’t help but ask, as you had somehow scooted to Seto’s lap. Sitting cross legged with him so close and he saw in your eyes the brutal curiosity to know why all of this happened to him. Seto actually scoffed at the thought of it, a sad smile crossing his face for a few seconds.

“…It took the darkness from inside of me. Made me a better person. Made me realize what I wanted to fight for.”

You smiled back to his sad one, with one of his own as he fingered the rim of the Ring. Seto didn’t know what to do with it, you could tell. It was one of those situations, Seto thought he’d never be in the center of again.

“Well… I’m glad. That Atem helped you. Though, I am still thoroughly confused about everything… If it happened, and if it helped you become who you are today… I’ll believe it.” Finally answering, you laid your hand on Seto’s. He frowned at your reaction, as Seto was expecting more of a… Explosive reaction.

Though, there wasn’t much time to enjoy it as you were suddenly tackled into a hug. Nearly falling off the bed, you were about to smack the person who had bear hugged you only to be met with a face full of fluffy black hair.

“Niiiiiiiiii-San!! You’ve got to stop putting yourself in dangerous positions!!” Mokuba scolded, somehow making the whine become more serious. He held you tightly, as you could visibly see Seto’s eyebrow twitch. But, Mokuba wasn’t the only person who was here to visit- as a familiar spiky haired champion stood at the doorway. Holding an absolutely adorable Blue Eyes plushy.

Behind him was Jonouchi, Honda, and what seemed to be Yugi’s girlfriend- Anzu. It wasn’t much of a crowd- but you could tell that they were all important to Seto. Even if he didn’t think so, or know of it.

You were the first to take the plushy however, finding that it was super soft and you couldn’t help but curl around it while sitting on the bed after Mokuba finally released you.

_“Jeez, there’s so many people here.”_ Mokuba spoke in English, as you almost had to remember that your native language was English in the first place.

“Switch back. I’m having an easier time understanding Japanese.” You offered, as Mokuba looked at you weirdly before shrugging. You glanced at Seto, leaning your head on the back side of the Blue Eyes- your large orbs catching the attention of the CEO.

By Gods… Seto couldn’t help but think how cute that looked. Everyone in the room saw it too.

“Wow, I don’t know what you did- but Kaiba… Is Kaiba blushing?” Anzu teased, as an immediate scoff came from Seto in denial.

“I don’t blush.” He snapped, causing you to laugh. It earned the laughter of the entire group, and even Mokuba was entertained by the notion.

“I’m glad to see you’re alright though. As soon as we saw it on the news, I couldn’t help but fly down.” Yugi murmured, taking the chair that you had left at the side of his bed. Seto raised an eyebrow in skepticism towards him.

“I don’t need your pity, Yugi Moto.” Seto growled, crossing his arms. Though you could see the small trace of wincing that came with the notion.

“There’s no pity Seto, just care.” Yugi easily countered, as you gasped suddenly in realization. It caused the entire room to freeze, as you fumbled around your neck to find the card locket and opened it. In it, was the Blue Eyes he was missing and you held it out to him. Jonouchi frowned at this, making the dramatic movement to exaggerate the weird occurrence that just happened.

“W’at the ‘ell!? She gets one of your fancy Blue Eyes, but you won’t let ‘ny of us touch ‘em!” He snapped, as you glared at the blonde. It was glare that matched Seto’s perfectly, the one directed towards Jonouchi. It caused the blonde to take a dramatic step backwards into the glass.

“By God, there’s two of ‘em!!” Seto had taken the card back from you almost gingerly, examining it to make sure it was alright before putting it by his computer.

The evening continued to fly by, Seto chatting with his friends as you sat on the bed. It was interesting, especially the group dynamic once you drew yourself from it. They all were connected by something, even if it be that Atem was gone… No doubt, the group had gone through trials and it brought them all close together. But, one by one, they each left- including Mokuba, who left a small box on the bed stand before taking his leave as well.

Eventually, late into the night, it was just you and Seto.

He was typing away on his computer, as always. Both of you had settled into a comfortable silence as you continued to work on your music. Sitting in your chair with the plushy nestled in between your legs as you wrote in pencil and was thinking of how you were going to finish the new concert pieces. You were about to get even more sucked in, until you heard rustles coming from Seto. Glancing up, noticing that Mokuba’s gift was in his hand- it was a photo box. Standing up and holding the Blue Eyes that was originally meant for Seto, you lumbered over next to him.

They were photos of you.

Somehow, Mokuba had gotten pictures of you when working or whenever. Seto quietly flipped through them, glancing over the one where you were in the office- organizing the papers. Or when you were listening to the interviews. The first dinner with Marrer, sitting in the limo, you sleeping on his couch in the office… Asleep in Seto’s big leather chair at his house, you being sick… Then, of course, was the photos from when you were in the hospital.

Seto couldn’t help but take a sharp breath, looking upon your defeated figure. Laying there, as the grey light of the falling snow made your skin look deathly pale. Your hair dull, your eyes dead. Illuminated by the hospital light, it almost made you look like a ghost… Mokuba had captured your despair, in the best way he could. Seto could almost feel it himself.

You yipped, as suddenly an arm was snaked around your waist and you were held close to Seto’s body. He continued to stare at that picture, as you could feel his fingers gripping your waist tighter. Seto’s knuckles were white against your pants.

“Never. Again.” His voice snarled, demanding. It made you tense up in his arm, as Seto then forced you to sit on his lap again. It took you by surprise as you ended up sprawling on top of him, and was face to face with Seto. The plushy between your bodies being the only thing keeping you from being closer.

“Never. Again.” Seto repeated, as you raised an eyebrow at him. You knew what he meant, and it was you who wanted to hear him say it. Tired of being the only one saying what you felt, you played dumb.

“Never again for what?” Frowning, he glared at you. Staring into his eyes, you couldn’t help but noticed how they sparkled with brilliance. Determination… Passion. _They were alive._ The most alive you had ever seen them, since you started working in Domino City… That seemed so long ago now. More or so a month now.

“You know what I mean, stupid.” Seto grumbled, not wanting to speak his intentions. You were about to say something snarky in return, before hearing a familiar ‘plink’ on his window. Looking outside into the night, you thought you heard something until finally a single little puff fell from the sky and ‘plinked’ right on the center panel.

“Oh… It snows here too.” You sat up, staring at the first few snowflakes. It was a sight, to Seto… That meant so much more than the photo he just saw.

Illuminated by the street light, the yellow glow chiseled your slightly too-big grey sweater. How your typical blue worker jeans turned a little green… How your eyes sparkled. How your hair fell around you. Your wonder at seeing snow, your figure lit in the dim lighting… To Seto, the longing felt surreal. He had been in this position before, seen you in snow before.

…When, had Seto longed to hold you closer?

“…Set? You okay?” Your voice came, unholy and growing closer to his cold heart. This shouldn’t have happened, as this was supposed to be impersonal. Just a business deal, and nothing more, nothing less. Seto didn’t hear your question, in turmoil with his own thoughts as his brow furled in concentration. There wasn’t anything special about you. If anything, you had more problems with your own body then most people should’ve had to deal with. You were snarky, rude, and over-confident. Defiant, selfless, genuine. Seto almost wanted to think… Beautiful.

“Set…?” There you were again. Forever in his way. Forever standing between him, and his goal. Now, Seto had to rebuild what Saiku had wrought. But, in light of the situation… He still had you. Seto gave an internal huff, as you were starting to grow concerned for the CEO. You saw his eyes waver, the blue orbs distant… Thinking. Desperately searching for an answer.

“Hm.” He finally answered, after what seemed some more thought.

“…You know, it’s okay. To stray from what you think should be right.” Seto’s eyes widened at your advice, as you looked at him knowingly. You’ve seen that look before, in your own face. As you were conflicted with your feelings, and how you felt about him. That ‘nameless feeling’ that both of you didn’t want to dabble in… For fear of getting hurt.

“It’s not just a job anymore.”

As if you found the answer for him, Seto found that solid ground he was looking for… In hind sight, it had been him to play for you when you were in that rabbit hole. It had been you, who was bed ridden with guilt and sickness while Seto kept you company… Look at how the tables had turned, Seto couldn’t help but think… Pathetic, almost. He was the most powerful business man in the world…

Brought to ground, by a woman like you.

Soft melodies began to fall upon his ears. Focusing again on reality, Seto noticed that you had produced a violin out of somewhere. Judging by the mild musky smell in the air… It was his Stradivarius. You were once again, playing with your right hand at the edge of the bed. The yellow glow illuminating everything.

Your music swelled in his ears, bringing goosebumps to rise upon his skin. It was a somber sound, a sound of understanding. Long fluent notes of calm, beautiful scales about your soaring emotions and short butterfly beats in your stomach. The tingle of warmth that he gave to you after every touch, the amount of care that you had felt from _him._ From Seto, of all people. It was strong, defiant, demanding Seto’s full attention.

It was your confession.

Confessing how, when he had first brought lunch and offered to play the very violin that you held now… It made you feel extremely happy. Comfortable. It had been the first time that you had ever felt something. When you forced him into the snow, and laid there- enjoying the small weight of his head on your chest… How you had felt over whelming amounts of need to lay in that moment. To freeze that time. Seto watched you sway back and forth in time to your own music. Eyes closed in your passion, your fingers moving in rhythm.

He was surprised at how well you were playing with your right hand, until Seto saw your brow twitch. You were in pain, and judging by how he could see one of your veins bulging from the contortion of muscle… You were playing just as he had for you that one night.

You were surprised, to feel hands on yours. In your darkness, you opened your eyes to see that Seto had leaned forward and held your hand that was on the neck of the violin. He didn’t have to say anything, as it caused you to stop breathing for just a moment.

“Let me cherish you.” He whispered, as Seto slowly pried you away from the violin. Gently setting it on the bed stand, even though you knew it caused you pain. Slowly, Seto convinced you by gentle touches and fleeting fingertips to lay your head on his chest as your legs lay against his above the bed sheets. He held you close, sighing awkwardly.

Your eyes were wide, hearing Seto’s racing heart. Leaning on him like this. It was something you thought Seto wouldn’t have done in a thousand years. He was cold to the touch, as Seto should be, but his awkward self-conscious breathing helped you calm your rapidly slowing ones. But that’s when you could see it.

Scars.

Small little pinpricks here and there, but some were thicker than others. You glanced at one that ran over his shoulder, one that ran down the arm that held you… Small indents in Seto’s arms, that told you everything you needed to know about his past. His relationship with his father. Why he always held people at a distance. It made your blood boil. It made you seethe against the person who dare lay a hand on this beautiful soul. It made you anger. However, Seto slowly rubbed your shoulder- pulling you out of your thoughts immediately.

“…You don’t have to pity me. For what you see.” His voice was distant, empty.

“I am for sure. Not pitting the man before me.” You snapped almost instantly, there was no room for debate on that one. Seto could feel it, he didn’t need to look at you to see the anger seething into your skin. He could feel it radiating off of you.

“How very like you.” Seto hummed, leaning his head against the back of the headboard. You lay there, unmoving in the darkness in Seto’s hold- watching the snow fall. Eventually, you felt his breathing even out. Glancing upwards at him, you sighed seeing his normally stoic face calm with sleep. To be frank, it was the first time you had ever seen Seto asleep.

You burned the image into your mind, before moving just slightly to get comfortable and fall asleep next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moooore fluffy stuff! Don't you worry, there's more to come! Today was a slow day at work, so I had the opportunity to write a little bit more. Hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading and commenting as always!
> 
> -Zavier001


	13. The Card Duet

“Man, am I glad you’re okay!” You were practically being shaken by the champion in front of you- his brown hair bouncing with his energy. A more confused face graced your features, as your concerned gaze looked up to Seto. He was actually smiling a bit at your wariness, considering it was only two days after the incident. Due to Seto having immense amounts of influence, as always, the CEO managed to get himself released early- regardless of the fact that the bullet wound was still healing.

“U-um… Me too?” Replying with a question, unsure how to deal with his intense energy- the campion let go of your hand. Giving himself an introductory thumb, he beamed at you- causing his eyes to widen in excitement. You noticed the faint tints of red and green behind those brown eyes. It was something that you found interesting.

“I’m Jaden Yuki, it’s a pleasure to meet you Miss. Kaiba!” Jaden declared, his duel disk glowing just slightly. Suddenly, some sort of fuzzy monster formed next to his head- cooing as it did. It was dim, almost transparent- as if it wasn’t… Really from this world. Jaden and Seto watched as your eyes suddenly became unfocused, but rather stared intently at the Kuriboh. Seto couldn’t see anything, as always, but he could tell from your reaction- that this ‘Jaden Yuki’ was no ordinary duelist.

Perhaps, it was because you had the Ring in your purse.

“I-I am so… confused.” Grumbling, you couldn’t help but watch the monster thing fly around innocently by Jaden’s head, and eventually landed on it. Making a comfortable spot in his hair. Jaden smiled at you, a bit of a more serious grin, and pointed to his head- right at the Kuriboh. Seto had no idea what in the world the younger duelist was pointing at, and could only guess from your reaction that it was something… Otherworldly.

“He’s a Spirit that resides in the cards. Kuriboh has been my buddy since day one at the academy… I actually got him from the real champion- Yugi Moto.” Jaden bragged, as it caused you to look at him with skepticism and back at Seto for confirmation. He shook his head. Seto didn’t know what to think of it either- only that it was true, and though he couldn’t see it, the Spirit was probably there. Chalk it up to Battle City, with Marik and Yugi’s intense final duel.

“Well, it was nice to meet you both- I have to go work with the programmers to make sure that the soundtrack is integrated properly. Seto…” You looked up at him with a bit of plead in your face.

“Don’t wipe out the poor boy.”

Jaden’s face immediately grew tense upon your statement, as even he could tell that this wasn’t exactly your cup of tea… But obviously, you knew enough about Seto’s deck- to know that it wasn’t a pushover either. Seto smirked at you, leaving you with a few parting words and watched you take the steps to get off the stage in the empty area. There were a few people around, walking and enjoying the conference as the duel wasn’t scheduled to start for a couple more minutes. Inwardly, Seto wished that you could’ve sat and watched him- but that would be wishing for something ridiculous. Since the CEO went and purged his entire company- now you were the Lead Musician for all projects. You had your work cut out for you, and finally the staff decided to be cooperative, seeing as how it was the premiere for the game- but there were still bugs that needed to be fixed.

Cautiously opening the booth room, you peeked inside to see the staff already engaged in conversation. It was light banter, how some coding could be fixed for smoother avatar walking- or how transitions between areas and main lands could have a shorter load time. You only could guess how frustrating it was when traveling from land to land and a loading screen in between.

“H-hello!” Nearly squeaking out, the staff halted their conversations to look at you. Expecting some sort of glare, it was weird when one of the Lead Coders stood to politely bow at you.

“Miss Kaiba, it’s an honor to work you.” He smiled, as you smiled back and returned the bow. When you were about to sit down, something on a white board caught your attention. From what little coding you knew, it was the musical transition section between a basic enemy and the ambiance music in the back ground. You couldn’t help but pick up a dry-erase pen and stare at it. One of the coders came up next to you, and pointed at the section that was in red.

“This is one of the few bugs that people have discovered regarding music. I didn’t realize how many people would pay attention to it.” The coder murmured, staring at it with you. This was weird, beyond weird, for you. The staff was actually explaining things, opening up to you, and the chatter in the background wasn’t about your attention seeking but rather the game…

This. This is what it felt like to be part of the most brilliant team in the world.

You circled a part that wasn’t in red, and rewrote a few lines in an off section of the white board so that the coder could compare. He stared at it with ponder, and was tapping his finger with consideration.

“Oh! Boss has his Blue Eyes out!” You couldn’t help but over hear, as your gaze settled on a television that was in the corner of the room. It was covering the duel between Yuki and Seto, as it seemed that he had somehow got the beast out with some sort of dragon looking flute… Making a mental note to have Seto teach you Duel Monsters at one point, you returned to the code. Seeing that the Coder had written his own version of your code and the old one in green. Yours was in blue.

“I get what you were trying to do, however it would make this part-“ The coder pointed to another line of code that you didn’t understand,

“-Even more buggy. But, this right here will make that transition smoother.”

“I see…” You murmured, tilting your head at this confusing puzzle. Suddenly, the room began to be filled with cheers as you glanced back at the television once more. Seto now had three Blue Eyes on the field, and Yuki had some sort of… Human alien looking thing in a crouching position.

“Can someone… Explain this to me?” Curious, you sat down cautiously next to one of the staff members, as one of graphic designers pointed out the alien thing.

“Jaden’s strongest card is Neos. But, since Kaiba has all three Blue Eyes out, Jaden has no choice but to put Neos in defense position, hence why he looks like he’s crouching.” That explanation only served to make you more confused, as you noticed that Yuki was having the time of his life. Not to mention there were still two un-flipped cards on the ground, and Seto still had one on his… If you remembered correctly, there was a way to make those three dragons bigger and stronger.

“Alright Seto! It’s my turn!” Yuki claimed, drawing a card from his deck. It must’ve been something good, as immediately he put it down on his duel disk.

“I summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in attack mode!” Suddenly, as the card appeared, a humming bird creature appeared from the holograms. It looked weird to you, as murmurs filled the staff room.

“Uh-oh. That’s not good.” One of them whispered, as you didn’t hear what Yuki had said, but suddenly there was another monster on the field and then all three of them disappeared. You watched at Yuki shuffled those three cards back into his deck and a larger beast came forth. It looked pretty intense.

“With all my heroes, I special summon Elemental Hero Storm Neos to the field!!” In which, the words flew over your head with the dramatism. But, for some reason, it didn’t stop there, as Yuki activated another card that was face down. Giving his ‘Storm Neos’ some sort of boosting weapon. The television screen showed it at 3600 ATK. Meaning… It was stronger than Seto’s Blue Eyes.

Uh-oh indeed.

“Awesome Neos! Take out one of his Blue Eyes!” Yuki extended his hand to Seto’s direction, as the ‘Storm Neos’ roared, and rose up in the air to activate its attack sequence. But, for some reason… Seto was smiling.

“I knew you would do that. Allow me to show you what I mean, I activate a trap card!” Seto declared, as another card raised from the ground. The staff rose and cheered around you, bellowing in victory. You had no idea why, or what this card ‘Mirror Force’ did- but you watched in awe, as ‘Storm Neos’ was destroyed in an instant.

The duel was over, when Seto attacked him with all three of his Blue Eyes.

Though, as confusing as the game ever was, most of the dialogue flew over your head in confusion. You didn’t know how Seto won, but you were happy for him nonetheless.

 

Climbing back into the limo at the end of the day, you couldn’t help but lean back on the seat just to rest your head for a moment. Due to Seto getting you another dress, black and more business like this time, the heels were a little bit more for your feet and it felt good to be off them for a bit. Seto on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine- and that computer was back in his lap. The blue light illuminating his face in a dull glow in the night.

Seto was checking over the code for the game, glancing over the changes that were made in red. Some of it was your work, he could tell- but by God… When his staff finally got over your appearance, this was some of the best code they had produced for any transition, and even fixed a couple other bugs that weren’t foreseen. Suddenly though, there was a weight on his left side as Seto glanced down to see you leaning against him- staring at the code that you had worked on.

“You’re awfully close.” Seto grumbled, shifting so that he was a little farther away from you. It only succeeded in bringing you closer. Yawning sleepily, you rest your head on his shoulder pads as they acted as a pillow almost.

“I know…” Murmuring in an almost half-delirious state, it wasn’t long before you were completely asleep on Seto’s shoulder. It caused him to sigh, contently, and continue working on the code for the rest of the ride back to the hotel.

Seto picked you up gently, as he walked through the open doors. Tenants who had been aware that he was staring at the hotel were bewildered at the fact that Seto was carrying another woman up to his room. They were so used to seeing Saiku, immediately some faces of disgust graced their faces. Sighing, inwardly- Seto knew that this county wasn’t known for its politeness to foreigners.

Reaching his room was no problem, as he set you in the bed. Naturally, you snuggled a little farther into the covers and turned to face him- burying your face into the pillow. Seto smiled gently, acknowledging his foolishness, and shrugged off his jacket as he knelt next to your sleeping face. Peaceful, and finally- he was glad to have you back. Right where you belonged.

“Seto… Don’t go…” You murmured sleepily, concern and worry filling your face as your hand twitched. Seto’s smile only grew, he found you endearing that you were even dreaming of him in your sleep. His thin, elegant fingers traced through your hair till the worry was out of your face- in which you finally calmed down. Standing, Seto went back to the desk with more motivation to fix the game then when Saiku had been with him.

_You weren’t quite sure when it happened, but suddenly- you found yourself on top of that building again. It sucked your breath away, as you wanted to move- but your feet were glued to that edge. Panic over took you, as the familiar chilly wind sucked what little air lay in your lungs. You didn’t want to be back here, this was the least place you wanted to visit. Not again. Never again._

_‘You thought you could live?! I won’t let you!’ A familiar voice screeched, as you turned around and found the familiar barrel of a gun pointing at your head. Saiku’s cold face glaringly obvious behind it as the Ring glowed eerily almost on her chest._

_‘Die, you worthless invalid!’_

Hearing the familiar gunshot, you bolted out of bed in your half-delirious state- scrambling backwards until you hit something. Hitting your head with a loud ‘CRACK’, it caused you to hiss in pain. Seto’s head whipped around, seeing you gasping for breath against the night stand. You were pale, shaken, and panic laced your body with tremors. Light was streaming through the curtains, giving you that ghostly look again. But that wasn’t the only thing that he noticed-

You were curling in on your head, as blood streamed down from behind your neck.

Slowly, Seto stood and approached you- grabbing one of the small hand towels. This, was something he knew how to do. Seto had seen Mokuba time and time again affected by the events of his past. How he would be affected in such a way. Getting on his knees, his fingertips brushed against your hand, as it shot up and grabbed his wrist. You looked up in fear, before registering who it was in front of you. Shakily, and with a bit of coaxing, Seto managed to pry your aching right hand off of his wrist- ignoring that it was turning red. He showed you the towel silently, as you simply stared at him blankly and watched as Seto reached around your head. Feeling your body tense, Seto dabbed the towel once on your wound- watching you grimace at the sting. Finally, after tracing small circles on your hand and fleeting touches, Seto was able to apply full pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Though, it didn’t help that there was now a trail of blood soaking into your white pajama shirt.

“Who am I?” His caramel voice graced your ears- pounding with your internal metronome loudly, like a death drum beating to the sound of your heart. It was cursing, it was numbing… For once, you didn’t want to hear it.

“…Seto Kaiba.” Finally, a coherent answer. You just wanted something to drown out this death you felt in your body. This heavy lead blanket that had been draped over your lungs, over your heart… You wanted it to stop already.

“Good. Who is my younger brother?” Another easy question, but the words just could barely form. It was trudging through sludge, trying to speak. Just to say… Something.

“Mokuba… Kaiba.” Seto nodded, confirming it. Slowly though, he let go of the back of your head once Seto was sure the bleeding had stopped. Sitting cross legged in front of you, and scooting back to put some space in between, you were surprised when suddenly there were two decks manifested out of no where.

“Play with me.” Seto commanded, holding out a deck to you. Frowning, you took it awkwardly. You didn’t even know how to play, much less bring your thought process out of the swamp it was in right now. There was no way, you’d be able to focus well enough to play this. But, Seto was kind in the way he explained the game. He moved your hands for you, showing you how to properly shuffle the deck. Where to lay the cards, and hold them in your hand.

The amount of kindness he gave you, in your moment of despair, was unending.

Your breath was sucked away, as you drew the first card. Immediately, your gaze shot up to him- in almost panic and confusion. Seto watched you look at the card, back at him, and back to the card again. You were bewildered, confused, and shaken. The CEO knew what card you drew, to make your eyes sparkle that way. To ground you.

“Y-you… I… Are you sure?” Trembling almost, your fingers naturally held the card in it’s indent created by the amount of times Seto had held it. He nodded, drawing his five cards as you continued to draw more. Since this was his secondary beast deck- there wasn’t a way for him to entirely beat yours… But- it’d save for an interesting battle, to make sure you were grounded.

Explaining the basic phases, Seto went first. His voice rolled over you, soothing and patching those little thought processes as he explained his entire turn. How to set down a card, be it a spell or a trap, and how to play a card in face-down-defensive position. What it meant. What you could expect. The different positions, the different monsters, the different spells and traps… Seto slowly explained it, even as he watched your brow frown in confusion.

“Oh-kay… So… I do this then.” Since Seto had suggested that you play open handedly, so that you could see your cards- and he could see yours- Seto shook his head.

“No. It’s illegal to put down a Blue Eyes right off the bat. You must have two monsters to sacrifice in order to put a stronger seven or more star monster on the field.” He sharply explained, as you took the Blue Eyes back- and settled for playing a Feral Imp instead. You also, by some luck, read the card “Mountain” and attempted to play that as well. Seto nodded at you, saying that it was a good move that you did. Apparently, that field spell amplified Dragon types by 300.

 

Time passed. Seto knew, at this point, that you both had missed the flight he had scheduled today to fly back to Domino City was missed… But he had a private jet, and could’ve flown that way too. So, technically… There wasn’t much of rush. He sat there, even though his legs were stiff and aching, playing this mock game of Duel Monsters. He wanted to make sure you were alright, that you could return to Domino the same way you left… Even though Seto knew that wasn’t possible. Not after that experience, not after what Saiku had done to you. How she even became that way, Seto had no idea. But since she was being flown back to Japan to be fairly trialed according to that country’s law, Seto would be taking the thorough time to interrogate her.

“There you go. You won.” Explaining curtly, and shortly- you didn’t seem too happy about the fact that you had beaten him. Though, Seto had been inwardly impressed by your ability to draw out his three Blue Eyes just as fast as he could… Not to mention you already had a Polymerization card in your hand, and it would’ve been a matter of time before you drew his Neos Ultimate.

“…I don’t feel like I won.” Grumpily huffing, of course you weren’t going to accept it. Plus, Seto knew, and you knew it too, he had let you win in the first place. That had been the intent from the very beginning. But at least, now you knew the basics, and could start potentially building a deck of your own.

“If I were honest, I would say yes. You didn’t really win.” Seto curtly explained, making an exasperated face appear in your expression. It was gentle, joking… But more importantly, more alive than he had seen that morning.

“Seto! Aren’t you supposed to be nice to a little depressed ol’ lady like me?!” Huffing almost, you couldn’t help but grin at him while Seto glared back at you with a little bit of distain.

“If I were nice to you, you wouldn’t be here right now. For one, you’re not old and for two, I won’t ever let you be depressed.” He snapped back, as you shook your head in mock despair. Your body certainly felt significantly lighter, almost as if you had been running a marathon and just now stopped.

“Aw. Gross. You’re being sweet; Mr. I-am-never-sweet-and-forever-grumpy.” Insulting as ever. Defiant as ever.

“I am not ‘sweet’. You’re just imaging things, and making up illogical long names as always.” Seto scoffed, as he cleaned up the cards and put them back in their respective boxes. Finally, you stood- shaky as your legs stretched out and it was then you were acutely aware of how stiff your body really was.

What you didn’t realize, was that all of your belongings were packed. So were his.

“Hey uh… Seto? Where’s my stuff?” You asked, as suddenly one of his t-shirts were tossed at you. It was peculiar, as for some reason, it had a chibi-version of a Blue Eyes on it… This was his? No way. It was a good thing you were in jeans already, or else this would’ve been so much more awkward.

“Packed and on the plane. We’re going home. There’s new projects to do, and not to mention- all the interviews I have to partake in. The background checks to go through.” Seto grumbled, looking at his smart phone. He was dressed in a dark purple trench coat with an odd color of teal underneath. You frowned at this statement, how in the world did you not realize when people were in the room- packing your things?

Was it because you were mind numb?

 

Once again on the plane, Seto was rapidly typing away at his computer- as you were working on the new concert pieces again. Needing to say thank you to Marrer and Minu for continually visiting you in the hospital, you figured this would be the least you could do to repay them back. You were just thinking about the final touches for a violin solo when your phone began to ding with text messages… Rapidly. Annoyingly rapidly.

To the point where you could no longer ignore it, you growled in frustration as you dug your phone out of your pocket to give hell to the person who decided to annoy the living dead out of you. Of course, the anger disputed when you saw who it was. Mokuba.

_Ding._ ‘Hey.’

_Ding._ ‘Did Seto tell you?’

_Ding._ ‘Cause I’ll be angry if he didn’t.’

_Ding._ ‘Tell me.’

_Ding._ ‘Did he?’

_Ding._ ‘Did he?’

_Ding._ ‘Ask him what tomorrow is!’

_Ding._ ‘Do it now!’

“What in the living hell…?” You didn’t even get a moment’s chance to read the notifications as the text string just grew and grew. Suddenly, dinging came from Seto’s phone as well. Somehow off sync with yours, a groan of annoyance came from the older brother as well. Hearing a couple curses under Seto’s breath- he silenced his phone, and went back to work. Though, just because Mokuba was silenced on his phone, doesn’t mean that he was silenced on yours.

_Ding._ ‘He’s ignoring me!’

_Ding._ ‘Ask him!!’

_Ding._ ‘I need to know if he’s celebrating anything!’

_Ding._ ‘He won’t talk to me!’

“Celebrating what…?” Murmuring, mainly to yourself, you couldn’t help but look up at Seto in confusion. He glared at you, his expression reading as ‘Don’t you dare ask.’… But, as the saying goes: Curiosity killed the cat.

“Seto. What’s going on tomorrow…?” It was a slow question, that caused Seto to actually physically wince. Wince, in what seemed… Embarrassment? The expression seriously didn’t fit his persona, which meant that it was something that he was trying to avoid to the best of the CEO’s ability.

“Nothing.” Seto answered curtly, wanting to leave the subject alone. But, as the saying went: Curiosity killed the cat. You put your phone on silent, and your music down. Standing up, you walked across the room- shut his laptop, causing Seto to move his hands before they got crushed. You grabbed it, tossed it on the couch, and practically launched yourself upon him. Sitting on his lap.

“What. Is. Happening. Tomorrow?” Forcefully asking, and _very aware_ of how uncomfortable you were making him, Seto’s jaw clenched as he looked away. Unsure of where to look, unsure of where to put his hands- as normally he would cross them but you were unbearably close at the moment.

“Nothing.” Came his short answer again. You sighed, as finally- you were going to bring out the ultimate weapon against him. Seto was looking away, when suddenly he felt something wet drip on his shirt. Immediately, Seto whipped back to you- to see that tears were slowly dripping down your face. By Gods, this was the most uncomfortable situation he had ever had the horror of being in. With your body being so close, he could see the droplets on your eyelashes- how your eyes glazed over with the clear liquid. Your big eyes… Every curve. Every trace of your body.

“Y-you don’t trust me…?” Whimpering, Seto just felt his soul snap in half. No longer able to contain the unbearable situation, Seto hugged you close- burying himself in your shoulder. It caused your eyes to widen at his sudden action, as you had no idea to honestly… How did you hug a Kaiba in the first place?

“Fine. I will tell you. If. You. Leave. Me. Alone.” Seto growled into your shoulder, unable to look at you. Wiping your tears away, you smiled at his sheepishness- and slowly wrapped your arms around his muscular back.

“I will honestly never leave you alone- but sure.” You sweetly responded, as Seto took a deep breath- you could tell he was inwardly debating on if it was worth telling you in the first place.

“…Tomorrow’s my birthday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a chapter posted tomorrow in celebration of Seto Kaiba's birthday! HOWEVER- I don't know what to do for it. For... Mokuba's part to be honest. I would like Mokuba's part to be as chaotic as possible- so please, if you have something that would absolutely kill the older brother... (This isn't something I will be asking for often, so please don't expect it in all the chapters) Please let me know in the comments! As always, thank you for reading- and thank you for sticking with me throughout this story.
> 
> -Zavier001


	14. Set’s Day Pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry to cut the chapter in half; but there was some story to get out of the way first- but then something else came up and the chapter... Kinda turned into a 10,000k word thing. So here’s the first 3,000; and the rest will be tomorrow. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting as always!  
> -Zavier001

“…Wait. Are you serious? That’s why you’re so embarrassed…?” Giggles filled your lungs, and finally you couldn’t help but laugh at Seto’s weird behavior. Though, there probably was a good reason for it, your laughter caused Seto to hiss into your shoulder.

“Stop it. I seriously don’t have time to deal with this shit right now.” He snapped, looking up at you and let you go. Not realizing he was the one holding your support, you fell back onto the plane floor- still laughing. Oh, it was just too funny. Why in the world would he be so embarrassed over his own birthday?

“No- you do. I’d like to celebrate it!” Smiling, Seto had never seen you look so happy before. Even if he had literally thrown you to the floor, and insulted you- you seemed as if learning about this date had sparked some sort of flame inside. Personally- to Seto, it was annoying as hell. It reminded him of Mokuba… Who was the person he least wanted to see at the moment.

“I will deny anything that you try to pull. It’s bad enough that Mokuba always feels the need to over throw a party for me.” Seto growled, as memories of overly extravagant parties filled his mind. Too much. Always, and will most likely forever be… Too much. Sighing at his stubborn nature, immediately you were thinking of ways to celebrate it.  
   
Finally, the plane landed back in Domino City- as Seto took the time to escort you off. At the bottom of the stairs, Seto extended his arm for you to take- as you laced your hand around it. Photographers and reports were going wild, trying to get as many pictures as they could. It was just as bad as New York… But, what you were most proud of, was the fact that the cameras and the noise was no longer bothering you as much as it used to. Seto noticed this as well, and internally- though he’d never express it- found that you were growing. As a person, as a business woman… As his ‘fiancé’.

He’d have to figure out a way, to make the two of you official. Instead of bound by favors, and contracts.

It was interesting, the questions that the reporters threw your way.  Ranging from insults about your character, to how Saiku tried to murder you- and what you might do from there. Along the way, you smiled next to Seto’s side- ignoring these questions. It was interesting the fact that you were in grave danger, that Seto was shot… It all just seemed so long ago. Not to mention, here in about two weeks, you and Seto were going to have to fly back to the United States- to Seattle…  
It would be a trip ‘home’ for you. Considering that was where your parents were living at the moment. Ah. The immense amounts of rain… And hail. And snow. Plus a dash of sunshine and flying leaves in the single midst of an hour. Washington was a crazy place for weather- since you stayed with your parents for a set of time between concerts in the past. Though around this time of year- it should technically be snowing… But one would never know, regarding that place.

“Are you listening, daydreamer?” Seto’s caramel voice suddenly interjected, causing you to jump. Since when were you inside the airport, sitting down at a table with one of the CEO’s new Lead Board Members? You recall meeting him at the booth room back in the PAX West conference. Not to mention, who was this young man with pale hair next to him? You feel like you’ve seen him before.

“Give her a break Seto. The girl was traumatized three days ago.” A deep voice laughed at him, as Seto raised an eyebrow at you in skepticism. Shrugging in confusion back, besides that morning when you weren’t quite sure what to think, that was the only thing that really affected you.

“I don’t give my suitors breaks. They earn their way to their spots.” Seto grumbled, causing your aura to do a complete switch- the compliment almost made you glow with bliss. Making butterflies in your stomach, as you sat there beaming at Seto. The young man across from you saw this, and immediately knew why you were with Seto for some time now.

“Alright. If you say so. But, what did you want to meet me for? Isn’t your birthday in less than twelve hours? I figured you be hiding away by now.” He laughed, gesturing for the Lead Coder to take his leave. The staff member bowed politely, before standing up with his coffee and walking off. It was obvious that this young man had authoritative qualities about him… You just couldn’t place why. With the three of you watching him leave until he was a safe distance away- Seto gestured to you.

“This is Marik Ishtar. The man from Battle City that I told you about. Marik, this is the woman I’ve been emailing you.” He explained, as it then dawned on you why he looked so familiar. Even though he was now in a dark blue sweater with a black jacket- the pale hair was still there, the tattoos around his eyes, the earrings. Marik extended his hand out to you, which you took politely.

“Pleasure to meet you. It’s certainly been some time since I’ve seen Seto have someone other than Mokuba around with him on a regular basis.” Marik sneakily commented, making you look at Seto with confusion. But instead, he gestured for you to grab the Ring out of your purse. It was a silent conversation, that you then realized that Mokuba would’ve been able to do the same.

Taking the Egyptian artifact out of your purse, watching Marik immediately tense up upon seeing it- the notion told you everything that Seto explained was indeed true. Setting it gingerly on the table, Marik didn’t even make a move to touch it, as if anything- he looked at it extremely wary.

“That. Should be gone.” Was his short, explanatory answer. You couldn’t help but stare at it even more confused, just how dangerous is this little trinket?

“I know it should be gone. I figured the Tombkeepers were doing their job well enough- but somehow this fell into the hands of one of my old-coworkers.” Seto explained curtly, crossing his legs. Marik frowned upon his statement, thinking deeply about what he explained. It had been almost a decade ever since the Pharaoh had crossed over- and now they’ve returned? Personally, he would’ve enjoyed that whole dramatic ordeal to be over- and never look back on the pain he caused so many people to endure. Including Seto.

“We are. There hasn’t been any sightings, spiritual or physical. The God Cards are still missing. The Millennium Items should have fallen into the darkness of the Pharaoh’s Tomb… But…” Marik reported, trailing off- somehow, somewhere… Here it was. The Millennium Ring.

“God Cards? Pharaoh’s Tomb? By Gods… I’m so confused.” You could only murmur, rubbing your temples in frustration. Why couldn’t you have taken a different train, sometimes you wondered why. This was definitely one of those moments. While you didn’t regret meeting Seto one bit- this whole spiritual thing… Was harder to wrap your head around.

“I am not surprised one bit, it’s not the… easiest thing to wrap your head around. But, I can assure you- it did happen.” Marik confirmed, giving you some more concrete evidence to ground yourself with. Seto gave a small ‘hmph’, smirking as he did- only to have his expression turn serious when Marik pulled something else out of his bag.

It was a medium length, golden rod- with two weird looking spikes attached to either side of it. That same eyes, was etched in the middle. Seto’s eyes widened just a bit when Marik held it out to him.

“This, was at my doorstep this morning… Technically, it belongs to you.” He offered it, Seto continuing to glance over the Rod. That thing- if you recalled- took so many of Seto’s friends away. Took Mokuba away from him once… Why, in the world, would Seto want that back? But, to your surprise, Seto took the Rod out of Marik’s hand. Gingerly setting it on the table, as you noticed something strange. The Ring, one of its spikes, was pointing to the Rod- as if acting like a tracker.

“I don’t know how these are resurfacing… But, as soon as I do- I’ll let you know. In the meantime… I’ll hold onto this.” Marik pulled out a cloth from his bag, and grabbed the Millennium Ring with it. Carefully putting it back inside, you watched silently as Marik nodded at Seto with respect before getting up and phasing with the crowd.

That. Was the weirdest conversation you had ever heard.

“Anyway… I’d like to get home. Those concert pieces aren’t going to write themselves.” Grumbling almost, you glanced at Seto. He was still staring at the Rod, debating on what to do with the thing it seemed. Touching his shoulder gently, it caused Seto to stir just slightly at your touch as he picked up the Rod. It seemed fitting for him, strangely, as the both of you started to head for the car waiting outside.

But, much to Seto’s dismay- Mokuba was in the car and dragged him in before the older could say anything about it. Ranting on and on about what he was going to do for Seto’s party, if the younger caught him that was. Of course, the energetic bouncing younger brother was suddenly on the other side of the car- the moment he saw the Rod in Seto’s hand.

“What in the living fuck is that thing doing here?!” Mokuba swore, as Seto glanced down at the Rod, and back to you. As if expecting you to give an explanation as to why the Rod was in Seto’s possession.

“Well… Long story short- Saiku was under the influence of the Ring, which we gave to this Marik guy. Then said Marik gave Seto back what was ‘rightfully his’… I guess?” You managed to explain, in which Seto nodded at you with approval. Mokuba slowly relaxed, looking at Seto cautiously- eventually finding that it was safe enough for the younger brother’s approval.

“So… They’re back then.” He managed, still staring at the Rod with a hatred that you had never seen in his eyes before. Well, that officially confirmed it in your mind. The whole ‘Pharaoh’ thing was true, through and through.

“They are.” Seto only answered, it was obvious he was thinking about this situation. What it would mean for his future, as you remembered what he told you back in New York.

‘Nothing good came from those artifacts.’  
   
Finally back at your house after so long, you unlocked your door- hearing the limo drive away. It had been a while, since you’ve been home. Immediately though, you nearly face planted because of the ever present trombone case. It told you how long it had been since you were here. Looking around the corner in your living room, it seemed that your gold fish was still alive as it swam over to the side of your tank happily.

“I’m home.” You spoke in English to your bubbly friend, and dropped your purse on the music covered couch. Kicking off your shoes, and climbing the stairs to your bed room- you plopped on the untouched covered. Turning around to face the ceiling…

It was quiet.

You didn’t like it.

Not to mention, what would you even do with Seto tomorrow? What could you do with Seto tomorrow? He obviously didn’t like something exgravigant- evidence from Mokuba and how excited he seemed to throw something big for him… What could you do? Did you even know what his favorite food was…? Caramel. Definitely caramel. Actually, now that you thought about it… There was a Star Festival in the park that was near your house. But again… Would that be something Seto would be interested in? The forever spiraling thought process only served to make you realize how very little you knew about Seto… But, you could say the same- for him too. You could know with confidence that he didn’t know much about you… You’d like to hope.  
Later that night, you didn’t really know what to do with yourself. Now that everything was calm, and quiet- you found that without Seto consistently around you as the few past days had been… It was weird. Really weird. Normally, you’d delve right into the new concert pieces you were creating for the orchestra, or write more music… At that moment though, all you wanted to listen to was Seto play the Stradivarius.

You gasped, and realized finally- what would be perfect for Seto. Dialing Mokuba’s number on your phone, you waited as it began to ring.  
   
Seto woke up the next morning, groggily. Sitting up from the desk where his head lay, Seto didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep till he had to peel off his contacts out of his dry eyes. Blurry, and unable to see- he felt around on his desk for the frames he rarely wore. If the public found out the great Seto Kaiba wore glasses... The public, and his staff would never let it down. He’d immediately become the ‘Ultimate Blue-Eyes Nerd’... So said the bullies in school, a very long time ago.

“Looking for these- Nii-San?” A familiar teasing voice asked loudly across the room, as Seto sighed- pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Holding out his hand to the direction of Mokuba, who held the clean black thin frames in his finger. Twirling it. Standing up, Seto went to move at his usual pace, only to slam into the desk with his long legs. Causing it to rock. Mokuba couldn’t help but laugh at him, as Seto growled in frustration and anger.

“Mokuba Kaiba give my fucking glasses back.” He snarled, feeling his way around the desk and walked forward quickly around everything else. Mokuba began to move backwards, beckoning Seto to follow. Growling in growing anger, Seto had to feel his way through blurry walls to try and take down the black floofy menace. Seto gasped as he nearly missed a step down the stairs, and had to hold onto the railing. Rubbing his eyes at the soreness of trying to focus, Seto heard the doors open, as a blurry figure came forward. Dressed in blues and whites, something vaguely looked like some sort of kimono. With long ringlets falling past this person’s side- it was the person he least wanted to see him like this.

“Seto...? You alright?” You asked, shifting nervously in the loose fabric. You didn’t know why, but his eyes seemed a little... unfocused today. Tilting your head curiously at him, Seto stood up straight and fixed his jacket- which you could tell he obviously slept in. Perhaps, Seto had fallen asleep working... Though you highly doubted it. This man lived on coffee and caramels.

“I’m fine. Why are you here so early? Where’s Mokuba?” His voice was rough, as if he was gritting his teeth. It caused you to feel a little bad about showing up this early.

“Well... I was wondering if you could take the day off, to come to the Star Festival with me.” Sheepishly asking, Seto sighed. But, after a bit of thought, Seto pulled out his phone as you watched him put in his password... Wrong. Twice.

“Seto...? Are you sure you’re alright?” You asked, taking his phone and entering his password you’ve seen many times. It was 736823, spelling his first name with the initials BE, standing for Blue Eyes. Handing it back to him, Seto was holding the phone strangely close up to his eyes as he scanned through what seemed to be his contact list. Was Seto... blind?

“Do you... need glasses?” You asked, as Seto scoffed, and picked the right contact. Finally. Listening to the phone ring once, as his secretary picked up the phone.

“I assume this is to take the day off, sir?” She immediately answered, as Seto grumbled some incoherent swears.

“...Yes. It is. Take care of what needs to be done.” With that, he hung up as you were looking at him curiously. Could he just do that? Take days off? You were seriously concerned about his well being at this point. Something was wrong, and it was something that Seto was seriously trying hard to avoid.

“Seto. Do. You. Need. Glasses?” You repeated forcefully, as Seto continued to squint at his phone. Suddenly; you were tackled, an arm wrapped around your shoulders. Mokuba swung Seto’s frames in your face, dangling it dangerously.

“Oh he does. But he hates wearing frames; and since he fell asleep last night on his desk; his contacts dried. Poor Nii-san needs his glasses right now till he gets more contacts.” Mokuba explained, as you almost feared for your life in that moment. You had never seen such a dark glare coming from the older brother before. It was intense. It was dangerous.

You reached up to take Seto’s glasses from Mokuba, but missed when he waltz away from the both of you. Sticking the frames in his pocket; he smiled- crossing his arms. A devilish grin formed on his face, as Seto was even more ticked. You were almost tempted to let this play out, but for your safety- and Mokuba’s...

“Moki... Give back Set’s glasses.” Trying to plead, and both brothers unused to you using any sort of nickname for the both of them; it threw Mokuba off almost. But; only almost. Smiling broadly; Mokuba pointed dramatically at poor Seto. Whom was trying to read his phone for his email to see if his Secretary was taking care of everything he asked.

“Only- and only if you agree to do a photoshoot with Nii-san!”


	15. Set's Day Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I had to split the chapters. Thank you to Delasera who gave the wonderful idea of a ball pit! But alas... Moki has other ideas. However, thank you for suggesting- and thank you for reading!  
> -Zavier001

Your jaw must’ve been gaping, as Mokuba smiled evilly at you and Seto shook his head. He was pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration again. You couldn’t help but look up at him, noticing how Seto was seething at this point. No wonder he hated his birthday- Mokuba was being persistent, and using it as a way to get what he wanted Seto to do. It seemed like something the older brother wouldn’t do normally.

“B-but why?” Stammering, you could hear Seto quietly shuffle behind you as he walked up to Mokuba- towering over him defiantly. You were surprised as Mokuba stood his ground, as you could’ve sworn that there would’ve been sparks flying between the two.

“Because, Seto has never modeled for one of my photo shoots before. I have an assignment from some magazine to get the CEO of the ‘world’ in a light that no one has seen him before. Since it’s his birthday, I figured- why the hell not?” Mokuba explained, holding out Seto’s glasses in front of him. With Seto’s eyebrow physically twitching, you couldn’t help but think of what Mokuba meant by ‘in a light no one has seen’… It caused your cheeks to become ablaze.

“If this is another one of your games Mokuba I swear…” Seto hissed, before taking his glasses back. Putting them on finally, with everything clear once more, Seto didn’t quite realize what exactly you were wearing. Indeed, it was a kimono, layered with white underneath and a dark blue for the main color… Somehow, you had managed to get white dragons embroidered on the bottom in a Japanese fashion. With your hair pinned up elegantly, it was something that Seto just couldn’t look away from.

_Click._

His head whipped to the sound, to see Mokuba already with his camera out. Of course, it’d be a high-grade lens and his highest grade equipment. The younger was looking at the few pictures already, as curiosity got the better of you and it caused you to walk over to look at them as well. Whatever Mokuba had done… It only served to make Seto even more handsome in your eyes. You could see the admiration, the longing in his blue orbs- while the glasses framed his thin bone structure. His hair was tousled in a good way, his clothes worn almost purposefully. It actually showed Seto’s body was relaxed, and loose compared to the neutral expression and stiff body language he normally portrayed… Was that really your effect on him?

“Gods Moki… That looks really good.” You murmured, as you couldn’t help but stare at it. The younger smiled at you, before looking up at Seto.

“Come on Nii-san, go get dressed. I thought you were going to the Star Festival together.” He suggested, as Seto’s jaw ‘tched’ before he practically stormed off to his bedroom- debating on exactly he was going to get his revenge against Mokuba for using you to get what he wanted today.

 

Instead of taking the limo as usual, you suggested that Seto walked with you to the Festival. He begrudgingly agreed, tense and on edge about being so open in public like this. Isono was trailing nearby, of course, but Seto had just chosen to wore a dark blue hoodie with jeans and slip on shoes. With the hood pulled up, and since he was wearing his glasses in public- it seemed that no one was recognizing him in the crowd.

Mokuba of course, was trailing behind as well. Taking pictures as he went. Which made you a bit more subconscious as well.

Since the park wasn’t that far, and it was still fairly early in the morning- the sky was still dark. There were light layers of snow, as Seto didn’t understand how you weren’t cold in that traditional wear… It also made him curious as to where you got it. But, you seemed also very nervous as the two of you turned into the festival at the park.

Small little lantern lights were hung at every booth, trees covered in slips of paper covered the streets as booths were just now opening. There were different ones, ranging from different games- and since this was in a more rural part of town, everything was quiet. Being so early in the morning, there were very little people around. Mainly a couple early rising elderly couples glancing at the booths, but most of the participants were gathered around the temple at the end of the walk way.

You vaguely heard a small click, but it didn’t register in your mind- because you were too busy glancing at Seto, to make sure he was alright. To your amazement, he seemed more bewildered by this then you were by his expressions. Now that you thought about it… Had Seto ever come to one of these before?

“Is this… What a Star Festival is?” He could only ask quietly, as you stood in front of him- smiling softly at Seto.

“Yeah. Have you never been here before?” Asking kindly, Seto shook his head. It should’ve have surprised you, but the amount of sadness in his face was overwhelming. Almost as if, he had heard of this Festival- perhaps as a child, but never was given the permission or the time to actually go.

_Click._

“…No. My father never let me.” Even though, as his caramel voice soothed the nerves in your stomach- you couldn’t help but let the air be drawn from your lungs at Seto’s openness. He never talked about his father. Never about Gozaburo, or anything about his past. You never wanted to cross that boundary unless Seto let you… Like right now.

“Well… Would you care to join me, Set?” Extending your hand out to him, and giving him a heart warming smile, Seto couldn’t help but smile gently back- finally… Finally being slightly selfish for once and took your hand in his.

_Click._

Mokuba didn’t know how you worked, because obviously Seto spent more time with you, but something changed with whatever you whispered to him. Never, had he seen Seto more relaxed then in that moment- and was all the more honored that you had asked him last night to create some sort of photo shoot for what you had planned later that evening.

Of course, the day was his, as agreed… But you wanted the early morning, and the late evening. It was something perfectly fine with Mokuba. He wanted his brother to finally find that happiness that was denied to Seto, all his life. Right there, in that moment, as Seto took your hand and the two of you began to walk down the pathway around the booths, Mokuba knew that this was probably the closest Seto could ever get.

It was a quiet, comfortable silence between you and Seto. Taking slow steps, and stopping at every booth to look at what may be offered. But what made you the happiest, was the warmth that Seto’s cold hands provided. Well, he had taken your hand- but not knowing to how to even hold someone’s hand, the two of you settled for simply hooking your index fingers together. If it was comfortable for Seto in that moment, it was something you didn’t want to ruin for him.

To be frank with yourself, his reaction to all of this was exactly what you wanted. The world knew, what Gozaburo did to Seto and Mokuba. How harsh of a reality that Seto was dealt so early in life, and how the older brother had no childhood… Had no friends until high school. You… You just wanted to be that person, to give him just a little more than bitterness in life.

“Oh hey! Look at those goldfish!” You couldn’t help but drag Seto along, pulling him to look at the basin fill with the little swimming friends. Strangely, they all gravitated to Seto though- popping air bubbles as if expecting him to feed them. Kneeling by the basin, you couldn’t help but look at them, though you were thoroughly surprised when a paper net was swept through them and a white fantail goldfish was caught.

_Click._

Looking up, you saw Seto easily put the goldfish in a plastic bag with the basin water and seal it. The booth keeper was counting out the yen for the try as you stood, looking at the goldfish that he had caught with ease.

“Jeez… You are really good at games.” Murmuring in awe, you watched as the little goldfish swam happily in the plastic bag. Seto wasn’t quite sure what to do with it however. He just saw you looking at them, and remembered that you had a goldfish back in your little apartment. Plus, Seto was also thoroughly surprised when you also dragged him to look at these… Things.

“I tend to be.” He answered plainly, as Seto turned around and gestured for you to follow.

_Click._

However, there was one stop you absolutely had to make. Halting before a food booth, Seto watched with confusion as you told him to wait there while you spoke with the booth keeper. The man nodded in understanding, before handing you something. Turning around to face Seto, you walked back as suddenly the smell of caramel filled his nose.

You handed him a caramel apple, as Seto took it with confusion. It was small enough, to not be too much, but it was the warm caramel settling on the apple that caught his eye the most. Watching as Seto took as cautious bite into it, you could tell just by the way he took another almost instantly was how much he liked it. Nibbling into yours, you couldn’t help but watch as Seto enjoyed the festival treat.

It was at that moment, you wished- that the sun would never rise. You couldn’t help but notice, how normal Seto looked. If you didn’t know him prior, and weren’t here for his sake, Seto would’ve been a normal man in a festival he never knew existed. Enjoying sweets, and with the goldfish in his hand, you would’ve thought that he belonged to someone else… But in reality, this was just a way- to hopefully get Seto to relax for once… There was a pain in your chest, for only a moment of bittersweet happiness. The thought, the concept… Of becoming closer then what you both were already, was truly up to Seto. You were here, as you reminded yourself constantly, that this was a ‘job’… But even you knew it was more than a measly job at this point.

…You loved him.

_Click._

Finally reaching the temple in the back, Seto stood at the steps as he watched you climb them to pray. He had given you a couple thousand yen, since you had forgotten your purse with the cash in it. You accepted it reluctantly, before telling him you weren’t going to be that long. The caramel apple was probably the best food he had ever had- as the flavors were so much better than the simple candies that Seto constantly bought.

“Young man, would you like to make a wish?” One of the shrine maidens offered some sort of blank paper slip with a pen. Seto frowned at the offer, as the young woman smiled at him politely.

“I’m not into this type of thing, thank you.” Declining as nice as he could, something Seto did out of habit, still the maiden still insisted.

“You don’t have to be, to make a wish.”

After some thought, Seto sighed as he carefully put the goldfish down on the steps near his feet and took the paper slip. She explained why the slips were important to the culture, and what to do with it when he was done. Not quite sure what to write, it made Seto think for just a few moments. Looking to the sky, he could see that there were some pinks and oranges- meaning that the sun was going to rise soon… That meant, this small amount of time he had with you- was going to be over as well.

What would he wish for? Seto had the money, the success, the fame that many greedily wanted. He was fluent in many languages, in business, in many subjects due to the intense plans Gozaburo had… So why, couldn’t he just wish like a normal person for once? To just know the little bit of want that he could enjoy for the future…?

It made Seto wonder, what would you have wished for?

As if answering himself, Seto peered into one of the trees- before seeing familiar handwriting mixed in with the many of wishes. It was yours, he could tell- after seeing it so many times in the sheet music and coding. Pulling it down from the branch, it was so well hidden underneath the folds of others- it seemed just so fitting for someone like you. Though, Seto wasn’t quite sure what to think of yours.

_‘I wish he finds happiness.’_

_Click._

Slowly climbing back down the steps from the temple, you had prayed with your might- that Seto would find the happiness he deserved. But, you weren’t too surprised to see him hanging a wish of his own on a tree. Barely able to see his hand writing, you could assume it was probably for some sort of card- or winning at some sort of game. Or perhaps… It was probably for Mokuba too.

“I thought you were an atheist?” You teased, as Seto finished tying his wish up in the tree. He looked down at you with distain- and sighed.

“Yes. I am. But it never hurts.” He finally grumbled, as you noticed there were some pink streaks beginning to arise in the sky. Silently tugging on his sleeve, you pointed it out as you could visibly see Seto grow a little sadder at the fact you’d have to leave soon. Or risk Seto getting recognized in public- then that would make everything much harder.

“Set… It’s time to leave.”

The words stung a little, that familiar bittersweet happiness just faintly present in his chest. Seto nodded, as he laced his index finger with yours and the two of you began to walk back to the mansion. Goldfish in hand.

Mokuba, however, swung around the back- taking a picture of the two of you in the background right next to Seto’s wish. Being as sneaky as he could, he almost found this tiny little moment fleeting for Seto… Almost. Because, even as a Kaiba- there was no such thing as a ‘normal’ life. Never was, never will.

_‘I wish I could love her.’_

_Click._

 

Given very little time to change out of the kimono, back at the mansion you settled for a pair of Seto’s sweats and the same Blue Eyes Chibi shirt you wore in America. Though the sweats were a little big on you, with your height being so short, you were totally okay with this. It covered your toes, and as you held a now replaced dark blue mug in your hands, sipping coffee, Mokuba was making calls for whatever he had instore for Seto that day.

The CEO decided to hole himself up in his personal office- hoping to try and hide from the younger.

Listening to Mokuba banter in the kitchen area, you sat at the island sipping your caramel coffee before Jin suddenly stuck a contact case in front of your mug.

“For Seto, they came in this morning while the three of you were gone.” He explained, as you nodded before standing up and taking the case in hand. Hoping to avoid Mokuba while he was making plans, you snuck up to Seto’s office as your knuckles lightly tapped on the door.

“Come in.” You could hear his voice in the room, as you opened the door and peeked inside. As usual, Seto was surrounded by paperwork. When you were sick those three days, you had taken the time to organize his office much more. Considering now, the only chaos there was in the office was simply his desk as white binders filled the empty bookshelves… It made you happy, that he was trying to keep it organized- even though you knew it wasn’t going to last long.

Walking up to his desk, you set down the contacts in front of him. Without hesitation, Seto opened them up- and immediately took his glasses off. Curious about just how bad his eye sight was, you picked them up and put them on.

“Holy shit- you really are blind.” Barely able to see through them, you felt your eyes going cross eyed almost just to focus a tiny bit. Seto shook his head at you in disappointment, and opened his eyes as his fingers put in the contacts perfectly. You could tell he’d done this often- and it just made you wonder… What else, did you not know about Seto?

“Thank you, Sherlock.” Seto grumbled, standing up and leaning over his desk to take the glasses from you. Having to rub your eyes due to the soreness of trying to focus through the lens, Seto leaned back in his chair- staring at the new code for the game. It seemed almost flawless- and he wouldn’t know until PAX East…

“Have you eaten anything besides that caramel apple?” Asking, you leaned over the back of his chair as Seto could see traces of your hair draping around him. Your hands found their way to his shoulders, as you rested your chin on his head. While, normally, it would’ve felt uncomfortable to him- Seto found that the company was welcome and was more than willing to have a fresh pair of eyes on something you helped create.

“No. I’ve had enough to get me through the day.” He replied, as you couldn’t help but notice that there was a small fish tank now on his desk. It was a small cube, with a running filter in the back and a small statue of a Blue Eyes in the middle. Swimming around it, was the white fantail.

“Set, you’ve got to eat more than just sugar and coffee… Seriously.” Grumbling, and pulling up a chair, you continued to stare at the goldfish who was swimming happily around- flicking its tail and fanning its fins to show off how cute it was. Rummaging through his sheets, Seto glanced at you warily as you found some blank music papers mixed in with his and took one of his pens out of the cup next to his computer.

He sighed, watching you work. Music just seemed be some sort flow out of you like a tap, and it was interesting sometimes to watch you. The pieces you created were always a pleasure to listen to, regardless of the fact that you didn’t play them. If Seto knew anything, after this past month of being with you, it was the fact that if you could play with your orchestra… You absolutely would.

So… Why didn’t you wish for that? The ability to play again?

“Come on, let’s go eat something before Jin gets mad at me.” Seto grumbled, standing from his desk and gestured for you to follow. Glancing up at him- finally you decided to stand with him as you both went to head for the kitchen area.

To your surprise however, and wondered how in the world this happened, the kitchen area seemed to be completely transformed. All the chairs had been removed, probably stored somewhere, and instead where all the furniture had been- was some sort of dueling platform. Complete with the holograms, and people were all scattered about the sides- chatting and talking to each other. Immediately you could recognize Jonouchi, Honda, and Yugi. Anzu was at the kitchen island, sipping some tea. Jaden was here as well, as you didn’t know who the other people around him were as well. All you knew was… These were duelists. Here for something.

“Alright! Looks like the guest of honor is here!” Mokuba declared, as everyone stopped chatting for just a moment to stare at the two of you.

“So- I have a small challenge for you Nii-chan! All these duelists are here for your party, and small tournament. The only thing is, we can’t decide on a prize. Because let’s admit it, money isn’t the only thing people here want.” He winked, before suddenly- Mokuba picked you up and slung you over his shoulder.

“H-hey! Wait! Mokuba, I swear to Gods- put me down this instant!!” Shouting, you found yourself sat on some sort of pedestal looking chair. Seto’s eyes widened at Mokuba’s declaration. However, the room, was more pleased than usual and it scared you a bit- that Jonouchi was beginning to cackle a bit deviously.

“She! Is your prize for knocking Seto off! Seto, will be on one side permanently, and will continue to duel until someone can defeat him! If you do win… You-“ Mokuba gestured to you, who was not amused one bit by this.

“-Will get to take Seto’s girl on a date!”

You didn’t have to even look, to see Seto burning with anger. No wonder he wanted to avoid Mokuba- he was dramatic, he was entertaining… He was devilish. You wanted to protest, but for the sake of Seto’s pride- mildly on the inside… You kinda wanted Seto to win you back. Damn Mokuba, for playing with your feelings like this.

The crowd on the other hand was now anxious. You could see that Jonouchi was looking to get a chance at this, as to where Yugi was simply shaking his head. Jaden looked ecstatic- as Seto took his spot on one of the platforms. Bringing out his deck, and setting it on the stand. But, at that point- it seemed that none of the duelists wanted to move. Knowing the result. Considering that three champions were in the room- Seto, Yugi, and Jaden… You weren’t quite sure who’d go up first.

“I’ll challenge you!” Out of the crowd, next to Jaden- a young man with spiky black hair and the coat to match stood up to the other podium. Jaden hollered out for him, supporting him and cheering him on.

“Go Chazz!! You can do it!!” He yelled, as everyone else started cheering for this ‘Chazz’ as well. However, you knew which deck Seto had- seeing as how you had played yourself- and immediately knew you weren’t going to be stunned by the results. You may have not gotten up to the Neos Ultimate during that game… But you really wanted to see Seto possibly having a good time. Because sitting there, you could already see the smirk playing at Seto’s lips. How he looked confident. How his eyes were showing the passion you rarely saw lately… Personally, you couldn’t help but think, that as much as you weren’t a fan of being a prize… At least Seto looked like he was having a good time.

You weren’t surprised in the least bit, when he won that match.

Chazz had a good black and white dragon out, with a hold on Seto’s points. Knocking him down to a good 3500 for someone who’d never played his deck before. But for the most part, when Seto started getting his Blue Eyes out… It was over after the second one was summoned.

More matches continued like this- Seto beating them down one after another… You were fairly certain that there was no one in the room that could take down one of his Blue Eyes. At one point you were getting comfortable in the chair.

That was… Until Yugi set his deck unto the stand.


	16. This.

Standing nervously at the train station, you checked your phone for the time. Technically… This ‘date’ was supposed to start in five minutes and this whole situation really put you out. Yes, today was a day off. Yes, Seto was at work… But you couldn’t help but think as to _how_ you got yourself stuck in this mess.

Right. Mokuba.

Sighing at your uselessness, your cold hands pulled out a pair of earbuds- sticking them in each ear. The rough draft of the orchestra pieces you were working on were falling on deaf ears, as you recalled the events from last week.

_It was intense, the battle between Seto and Yugi. The short man had his goliath black doomsday dragon out, while the CEO had his Neos Ultimate. Both had traps in effect, both had spells in effect with monsters face down and cards face down. You didn’t need to know the game to know that this was a serious impasse._

_…But that didn’t stop someone from winning._

A small poke was felt in your shoulder, as you looked to the side. Met face to face with deep purple eyes, his spiky hair couldn’t have been missed- but how you managed to… It was weird. Pulling out one bud from your ear, you gave an awkward smile to Yugi as he gave one back. It had been a week after Seto’s birthday- and because of the fact that he lost again to Yugi… You had basically been on the cold shoulder ever since. No calls, no texts, no lunch. It only fueled the desire to kill Mokuba for this little charade.

“So you-uh… Ready to go?” Asking sheepishly, Yugi nodded as the both of you began to walk inside the train station and wait for the transportation to arrive. Standing in the dim platform, you couldn’t help but think about the fact that it was this train station that you met Seto in… All because you got pushed out due to his inability to recall his guards. Organizing his documents, getting that ride… Was that really almost more than a month ago?

You didn’t even realize when Yugi had guided you onto the train, and sat the two of you down in one of the isle seats. Not knowing where you were even going, your eyes couldn’t help but drift out the window to watch Domino City fly by… You couldn’t help but stare at the tall skyscraper in the middle of it that belonged to Seto.

 

Seto was grumpy. Oh, so _very_ grumpy. He couldn’t help but glance at his watch, for the third time that hour. Gritting his teeth, Seto huffed to himself and continued to look at the applicant list. The CEO hadn’t let you into the Interviews all week, even though his blasted Secretary let you glance at the ones for the music staff. Seto’s foot was tapping to a nonexistent beat, as the older brother knew that he was acting immature. That he was being aloof…

It was supposed to be him, taking you out to Kaiba Land for the first time. At least, that’s what Seto figured- knowing Mokuba.

The Amusement Park was Seto’s creation, Seto’s heart and soul poured into a live physical manifestation of the childhood he had so longed for. Fucking Mokuba, always sticking his fingers where they didn’t belong. Seto huffed again, his typing increasing furiously- and eventually banged his head in frustration on his desk with a low _‘Thump’._ Damnit all, his heart wasn’t in it. Wasn’t in the work, wasn’t there with him at the moment. Though, small bubbling could be heard- considering that the goldfish he had taken to his cooperate office was swimming happily around the little Blue Eyes that you suggested that Seto get.

It stared at him, with its little black eyes. Seto looked up at it, his blue eyes dull of life. Why couldn’t he have gotten the Flute earlier? Why one turn later…? At this point, Seto was throwing out low curses at his deck and at this point- his head was thrown back onto the desk… This really wasn’t like him. Normally, if he’d lost against Yugi- it would feel the same. A low amount of bothersome deck tune-ups and tweaks. Now, he was filled with this anger that Seto had no idea what it was.

All Seto knew was that he was annoyed that you were out with another guy.

 

Eventually, Yugi managed to get you off the train- stopping on the outskirts of Domino City. Smelling the cleaner air, you couldn’t help but take a deep breath. It was fairly nice, being out of the busy city. But Yugi pulled on your sleeve with a gentle smile, as you couldn’t help but follow with curiosity. Wasn’t Anzu his girl anyways?

“I heard through the grape vine, that you’re looking to build a deck of some sorts.” Finally, Yugi spoke in a reassuring tone. You couldn’t help but nod. Originally, you were going to have Seto come with you after Mokuba’s little stunt and ask him to go deck shopping with you. But, since the older brother had lost- you got practically kicked out the house and hadn’t seen or spoken to Seto since… It hurt a little, to be honest. That he thought your loyalty would switch that fast.

“I am… Nothin’ too serious though. Just for causal play… Is that the right term?” You couldn’t help but question, as he nodded politely to you. Yugi was so nice, a little bit more empathetic… But you felt as if you couldn’t hold a mature conversation the way you did with Seto. It would fly over Yugi’s head, and you could tell that he was more game oriented then music oriented. Or at least what very little music that Yugi might’ve known- it just wouldn’t have… Worked.

Dragged over to what seemed a tiny little game shop, Yugi opened the door for you- as immediately you were hit with the smell of old books. It was a smell that you particularly enjoyed, and a little bell rang upon your entry as Yugi followed behind you. There was an old man behind the counter and looking at what seemed to be trade-in decks, as there was Duel Monster cards lining the entire glass shelves, and lining the walls of the shop that contained more than just the card game itself. Yugi gently moved past you, and behind the glass cases before looking at a couple binders on the wall.

“Yugi! I haven’t seen you in a while! What brings you in today?” The old man asked, moving closer and hugging Yugi tightly. The man gave a small grunt, before hugging him back.

“Hey, Grandpa, I’m just helping out a friend. She’s just getting into Duel Monsters, and wants to make a casual deck to play Seto with.” Yugi smiled, as this ‘Grandpa’ figure let him go after a bit. He glanced back at you with curiosity, as you couldn’t help but fidget nervously. More importantly, you didn’t recall when you and Yugi had become… Friends.

“Oh really? I didn’t think there was such a thing as casual play with Seto. That boy has a knack for Duel Monsters, and he’s been obsessed with beating you all the time.” Grandpa explained, as Yugi gestured you over as he pulled out a binder. It was filled with what seemed older types of monster cards, and you couldn’t help but walk towards them. Glancing over them all, there was something in particular that caught your attention.

“Would it be alright if we started with this?” Pointing to a Melodical card, you couldn’t help but be drawn to the fact that it was a siren with demonic notes sprouting out of it. Yugi looked at you funky at first, but then smiled.

“Musician to heart, aren’t you?”

 

Seto had finally managed to get back into the groove of working on documents once more, as the new game profits were beginning to skyrocket. He needed to make sure that everything was being distributed correctly and that the storehouses were properly stocked, receiving the shipments that were being scattered throughout the world. Seto had also managed to shift through some of the applicants as well- seeing that there were a couple old employees that were trying to worm their way back in. He wouldn’t have any of that, no one hired by Saiku would be left.

…Speaking of, Seto checked the time- seeing as it was almost six in the evening and you hadn’t texted him. Then again- you stopped texting the third day Seto was ignoring you. This whole ordeal with Yugi taking you out on a ‘date’ was just frustrating to say the least. But, regardless of the whole ordeal- there was still the matter of Saiku. Dialing a few numbers, Seto stood as he grabbed his coat and left his office by taking his elevator to the car he had actually chosen to drive that day.

Stopping at a few miles away from his building, Seto stepped out onto the hard pavement in front of the police station. Looking up at it momentarily, Seto didn’t waste time as he entered the building. Almost immediately, the police man at the front desk stood and offered a polite bow in which the CEO returned. But that didn’t stop the man from gesturing Seto to the cells in the back- as he followed the police man quietly. In the farthest cell, that was when Seto saw a disheveled figure huddled in the corner. Muttering could be heard, as he could glance what seemed to be claw marks on the walls… His name written in white, _over and over again._ The police man took a deep breath.

“I don’t know what in the world you would want with her… I don’t even know if she could hold a coherent sentence. Good luck, sir.” Explaining, he took another polite bow before leaning against the wall in case of the other cellmates wanting to try something. Standing before the cell, Seto could see firsthand what the Ring caused.

“…Saiku.”

Her head shot up, as Seto could see claw marks all over her face. The black satin hair was torn, as her clothes were dirty and disheveled. Saiku’s eyes widened- as it seemed to slowly register in her mind just who was in front of her. Suddenly, Saiku lunged for him- stopped just a hair away from Seto because of the bars. Having seen what the Millennium Items can do to a person before, the CEO didn’t even flinch- nor move when Saiku was reaching for him, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I need you, Seto! I need you! I need you to finish my mission, what I was born to do!!” She cried, desperation in her voice. But, it didn’t help that she was practically screaming it through her tears.

“What is that mission, Saiku?” Just saying her name, seemed to calm her down enough to the point where she cradled the bars lovingly.

“…Say my name again… _Please._ ” Saiku whined, crying against the metal. Seto sighed, as he watched her rub an area on her chest. No doubt where the Ring had laid around her neck before.

“Not until you answer me.” Dead, cold, remorseless almost- was his voice when speaking to her. Saiku hated it. Saiku despised it. Despised you. What you had taken from her. How you had taken EVERYTHING from her.

“S-she took everything from me… My reputation. My dignity. _I_ was going to become the most powerful woman in the world… _I_ was going to become the most powerful _thief_ in the world… But that WOMAN!! She!! SHE RUINED _EVERYTHING_!!” Saiku screamed incoherently, deducing into almost senseless words- as she banged her head against the bars. Immediately- the police man had to push her back so that she might not cause herself harm- only to be nearly bitten by her. Jumping back, he pulled out his electric gun and pointed at her.

“Now calm down Ms. Saiku. Let’s go back to bed.” He tried to persuade her, as Saiku suddenly swayed sleepily and lumbered back to the cell mattress. Seto had to take a deep breath and turned to leave. There wasn’t a use in talking to her- now that her mind had been warped by the Ring. Just as he had seen in Bakura… The same desire for power. Same willingness to sacrifice anything, anyone. Revenge. The strong desire for revenge. Just as Seto remembered, as he shut the door to his car and began to drive off… He felt the need to head to your apartment- to make sure that you were alright.

Just as he remembered… Nothing, _nothing_ , came good out of those artifacts.

 

It was dark by the time you managed to make it home. Your mind was numb, after playing against Yugi again, and again, and _again_ to make sure your deck could stand up against Seto’s- or at least give him somewhat of a challenge. Just soaking the information in, and yawning, you fished for your keys in your purse. Feeling the tiny deck box in it as well.

_‘I know you want to have something in common with Seto. Something that speaks on his level, just as he speaks on yours sometimes… That’s really nice of you. I’m glad someone finally wants him to be happy, just the way I do.’_

Yugi’s words floated in your mind sleepily, and the door opened with a click. There was something else, that you wanted to remember- but was just too brain dead to notice it. Stumbling inside, you took out your deck box and set it on the little table. Also grabbing your smart phone, you were about to text Seto before you heard faint rustling coming from inside your house.

Warily looking in the direction of the noise, you softly kicked the door shut and reached for the broken soprano bow. Holding it close, you quickly slipped off your shoes and glanced around- taking slow cautious steps forward. The rustling was coming from your bed room… Was someone stealing your underwear?! Gross!

You bounded up the stairs, and threw open the door- as a figure was standing right by the door way. With a mighty girlish scream, you unleashed the fury of your broken soprano bow upon the intruder.

“Go away- you underwear thief!!” _THWACK!_

“What the-?!” You couldn’t recognize this voice, but you heard it somewhere.

_THWACK_

“Knock it off!” This voice was starting to sound familiar to you…

_THWACK!_

“Hey!” Oh wait…

_TWACK! TWACK!_

“Listen to me you idiot!!” A familiar caramel voice snapped back, raising his arms to ward off your oh-so-threatening attack. All it did was serve to make his arms sore. Eventually Seto managed to grab the bow- forcing you to open your eyes and peek at the figure. Your eyes widened at your mistake, as Seto could’ve sworn there was a bit of red starting to form on your cheeks. He stared down at you, with his annoyed blue orbs.

“…Really. You thought I was an underwear thief?” Seto grumbled, his brown hair disheveled from your attack- as you finally got a good look at him in the dim lighting. He was simply wearing his normal tight black shirt, with jeans… Seto was wearing glasses again. As you could only wonder why, why in the world- after a week of no-contact…

 _“What in the flying fuck have you been doing all this time, you daft dimwitted asshole?!”_ English came out, as Seto was suddenly met with another barrage of the bow. He was unused to hearing so many swears pertaining to him- considering how much you usually swear at other people… It really shouldn’t have surprised him.

 _“OI!”_ Gods. You were so angry at him.

_THWACK!_

_“What did I do?!”_ The hell- Seto knew exactly what he did. You growled at him angrily.

_THWACK!_

Huffing, Seto finally caught your elusive bow by holding your wrists above you. Both of your bodies swung and landed with a soft thump on your bedroom wall. Seto was panting at this point, holding your hands above your head as he leaned over you. You were panting as well, your hair was disheveled now, anger rising in your cheeks. Your eyes conveyed an anger Seto had never seen before in your eyes.

“You’ve been ignoring me, all week. You just dump me off, like I’m some toy that you’re done with! After everything that I’ve done for you- this is how you want to end things?!” Rambling on and on, about nonsense Seto had no idea why you were sprouting- it was his fault. This was entirely his fault.

“Wait. Stop.” He grumbled, as it seemed you were too focused on what you were yelling at him.

“Shut up for once fucking second!!” Seto snapped, causing you to stop talking for just that moment. Your eyes widened, as you realized that Seto never cursed. Never swore.

“I didn’t… I didn’t want to talk to you.” Your mouth was about to opened again, and Seto cut you off before you could start talking about anything else.

“No! That’s not it! I.. I didn’t want to talk to you… Because you were with… You were with another guy!” Seto hissed, his words becoming quieter and quieter with each one. A deep breath came out from you, as you began to process what exactly Seto had just told you. Was that really the reason? The real reason why he decided to cut off all contact with you? Because he was… Jealous?

“…Oh my Gods Seto… I assaulted you with my bow.” You murmured, almost laughing at the same time as you did so. Seto sighed, almost hanging his head in relief to your less than over-the-top reaction.

“Yes. You did. That hurt, by the way.” He growled at you. You began to laugh a little more. Seto couldn’t help but smile at your laugh. By his soul… He missed that sound. Missed you, missed _this._

“I am so sorry…” Relief came from your body, as Seto could feel your body relax underneath him. You smiled back at him, as your eyes suddenly widened at what happened next.

You felt soft lips, on your own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry for the lack of update- I hit a wall, and got super busy with my job. I hope this chapter makes up for that. I'm also very sorry that it's short. But thank you for reading as always, and I always enjoy every comment read!  
> -Zavier001


	17. Tastes like Caramel

It took a moment for your mind to play catch up, as your lips moved in response to his own. Deeping the kiss, widening it- as Seto’s body was suddenly so much closer to yours. It was simple, but it was sweet- but eventually, that sweetness ended. All too quicker than you wanted it to be, Seto pulled away- leaving you both breathless.

“…Does that make up for the week I was gone?” He whispered, his breath tingling your skin as red was flush against your cheeks. Your eyes seemed slightly glazed over- you were thinking as Seto could tell. He let go of your arms, as they fell slack against your sides. Still thinking it seemed… The now severely broken bow dropped to the floor softly.

“I… I-um…” There were no words that could be spoke in that moment. Seto’s face relaxed, as he gave you a small worrisome look. You knew somewhere in the back of your dead mind that it was a face he would only show you. In the darkness of your bedroom, with the snow falling in the background. With the classical music playing downstairs, in the midst of your own home… Your wish, for him to find happiness…

You couldn’t be any more blown away- then in that moment.

But there it was again, his soft lips grazing yours with what seemed a type of longing as this time he didn’t wait for your permission. Seto’s tongue snaked into your mouth as a small whine came from you. A strong hand was placed on the back of your head as he pulled you closer and your slender fingers found their way into his brown tresses. Small little gasps came from you as you felt his cold fingertips slowly trailing up your spine, and this time- you pulled away. A string of drool pooling from your lips, and breaking when the two of you were far enough.

However, the moment only lasted for so long.

You suddenly heard your door open, as you pushed Seto away frantically. He wasn’t too surprised by the action, but couldn’t settle his beating heart as Seto sat on the edge of your bed. Fixing his own hair, Seto watched as you fixed yours quickly, oddly slapping your checks a few times, before peeking out your bedroom door. The light turned on, as Seto watched in confusion when you angrily grabbed your broken bow and launched another assault at whomever it was at the door.

“Mokuba fucking Kaiba!! I have a couple choice words for you!” Seto sat there in silence, listening to the familiar THWACK that came from the bow you’d probably never use again. Listening to you swear at his younger brother, as laughter could be heard downstairs… However, Seto’s mind drifted. To the sensual look you openly gave him, the soft lips you let him have… How you let him mark you his. To make that relationship that he so desperately wanted… To make it real. Seto could only scoff, at his unpredicted boldness, and laugh to himself… At the simplicity of his life at that very moment.

The very much welcome simplicity.  
   
Mokuba pouting in one of the chairs when Seto finally came down the stairs. Wrapped in a blanket with hot cocoa, he frowned playfully at you while you held the now cracked bow in your hands tightly. Seto came in quietly, and cleared off the couch- grabbing a blanket for the both of you and two mugs. To his surprise, when he pulled them out- Jin must’ve gotten you a matching pair of the light and dark blue mugs from the mansion. For some reason, strangely you had a bottle of caramel in your fridge as he gladly added it to his coffee.

He had just come into the living room, to see you standing above his younger brother. Lecturing him in English no less.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are- a Kaiba, a renowned photographer, or some sort of little brother to the most annoyingly stubborn man in the world- but that does NOT give you the right to put me up as some sort of fucking PRIZE!” Seto gave a skeptical look to you, as you completely ignored him at the moment. If anything- Mokuba looked extremely amused by this whole situation.

“But hey- it was interesting, no?” The younger tried to reason, only to wince when you hit him on the head again. Sitting down, Seto set your coffee on the table as he then sat on your couch. Pulling out that magical laptop- he opened it up as you watched out of the corner of your eye when he started typing again.

“No! That was not interesting! That was downright stupid!!” Hissing, you heard a small hum come from Seto, as you glanced at him. He gestured for you to put the bow down and leave the poor boy alone.

Mokuba, however, was greatful by the sudden change in your mood, watching you sigh and set the bow down… He cautiously looked as you grabbed the blanket, tossed it on Seto’s lap- crawled underneath it with your mug and snuggled up next to him.

It didn’t last long, as you grabbed the TV remote and changed from the classical radio station to some sort of American show named Lucifer. Ever since you had watched it at Seto’s mansion- you couldn’t help but enjoy this show.

“…When did this happen?” Mokuba could only ask, completely baffled by the scene before him. You glanced back at him, then to Seto.

“To be completely honest… I’m not quite sure.” You could only murmur, as Mokuba took note of the way you had glanced at him. Something had changed, he could tell… Mokuba just couldn’t tell what. But there was something that caught his eyes, as Mokbua could only smile at what you had done.

“Is that a deck box I see over there?” He asked, as you looked to the table next to the door. Oh yes, the deck box. Immediately Mokuba watched your eyes darken in relation to it- as it was a look very similar to Seto’s whenever the older had decided to play Yugi all day. He couldn’t help but laugh. Seto was glancing over to you, once or twice, while he was filing more reports. For some reason, the CEO found that it was simply easier to work with you nearby. It gave him focus, as Seto found he was able to type much faster than normal- and complete much more. However it be, he was able to drown out the background noise- once and a while listening in on your conversation with Mokuba.

“Set?” A finger nudged his shoulder, as Seto ignored it. He was so close to finishing this coding, this last little bug. That would be the last main one- and finally the game would be obsolete.

“Set.” Again, with the finger nudging. Ignoring it again, his fingers began to move faster, trying to get in the last bit of code… So close. So close to finishing. If this finger would just leave him alone-!

“Seto!”

“What?!” He snapped, looking up at the owner of the finger that prodding him. It was you, looking a little frazzled due to lack of sleep. There was a stack of sheet music in your arm, and you glared at him with a skeptical look. Dawn was peeking through the windows of your apartment, as even the light in your fish tank was on. The little black goldfish swimming about happily, as the TV was back to the classical music radio. It was obvious Mokuba had left a long time ago, as you were now yawning.

“We’re going to be late for work. Come on, take a shower.” You sleepily murmured, taking your dark blue mug and heading to the kitchen in your strangely noticeable honking penguin slippers. Seto didn’t even know when you had changed in pajamas, when did it turn to morning? More importantly… Why didn’t he return to his house?

Though, his thoughts were interrupted when a towel was tossed at his head. Seto peeked through to see you standing skeptically at the doorway.

“You take a quicker shower than I do. Hurry up already.” You grumbled, a cup of coffee in your hand that was steaming. Seto sighed, and stood up- heading to the bathroom. However, before he passed you completely- Seto leaned over and pressed a small kiss on your forehead. Standing up properly he could see your face beginning to redden quite a bit. Suddenly, Seto was shoved into the bathroom with no warning.

“Hurry up!!” He heard you yell, it made Seto laugh a little bit.  
   
Standing before the Kaiba Corp building, it felt as if it had been so long since you’d been back at work. Staring up at the top floor, where Seto would be- you couldn’t help but let your mind wander. You could feel the biting wind, your cold toes curling over the edge. The loss of balance. The fear. The gunshot… The blood. The amount of blood Seto had lost.

Seto patted you on the back, causing you to jump. He looked at you with a neutral face, but his eyes conveyed mild worry. Shaking your head in response, you opened the door to the building and walked inside. What was waiting for you, took you by surprise.

The entire staff was there, on the first floor. Or what was left of it, you could assume. They had all taken positions near where you would’ve entered and were bowing to you. However, your immediate reaction was to back up into the ‘pull’ door- and slam your back into it lightly. Seto entered through the other door, curious about what all of this was.

“Please forgive our disrespect, Lady Kaiba!” They all suddenly sprouted in unison. It caused you to blink in confusion. Standing, the staff’s looks towards you with endearment, respect… Kindness. You couldn’t help but bow back to them- your long hair falling around your face.

“Thank you, for accepting me into your family.” You offered back, standing as the staff now seemed to be beaming. But one thing that Seto was annoyed by was the fact that none of them were working- and you seemed to pick up on that.

“Alright, back to work everyone! I hear we have a new platform that in development! Let’s go!” You clapped your hands, and everyone scattered faster than Seto had ever seen them move before. The elevators filled quickly, as you and Seto stepped into his private one- hitting floor 12, and 30.

It was weird for you, to think- that Saiku was trying to kill you two weeks ago and now you were going back to work as if it never happened. The concept of time was strange to you, as you couldn’t help but let your mind wander again… How was Seto faring in all of this? He was shot after all, and there wasn’t anything you could do to help him.

“How are you, with that shot and what not?” Your voice broke the silence, and you could hear Seto sigh. If it was in annoyance, you couldn’t tell- you’d actually have to look up at him for that one.

“…It’s not infected. Or inflamed. The stitches dissolved yesterday at some point.” He reported, and you nodded. Unsure of what to ask next- it was then an awkward ride internally, unknown to Seto, as the floor finally read 12.

“You will have lunch with me.” Seto ordered, as you stepped out onto your floor. Sheet music in hand. Turning around, you gave him a heartwarming smile as the doors closed in front him.

Opening the door to your studio, you were hit with a familiar musty smell. The smell of a studio untouched, unused. It should have made you bittersweet about it all, but the lingering smell of Saiku was also in the mix as well. You could tell. She had been here while you were gone… Quietly, you set down the papers in your arms and began to thoroughly inspect every aspect of the sound board and the large panel for the recording studio. While the sound boards seemed fine- and you wouldn’t know until you turned them on- the panel however… You were underneath, unscrewing the panel that hid the wires and behold… They were mostly shredded. You didn’t even know how she managed to tamper with it, considering how very dimwitted she came across- but it was obvious. Saiku had been trying to set you up for failure.

Since you didn’t get the chance to create any music other than the soundtrack with the orchestra- there was no need to come back to the office. No need to come back to the studio- since you had been in such a mad panic to get Seto’s card back to him. Not to mention… That… Happened. While you felt as if coping with the whole ordeal had been better spent, Seto’s doctor saw to that, there were times when it still caught you off guard. Sucked the air out of your lungs.

‘What did he ever see in you?! Why doesn’t he talk to me that way?!’ Her voice echoed in your mind.

Suddenly sparks came flying out of the mother board, causing you to roll away from it as the lights in the studio flickered madly and you heard a loud POP! Then, everything was covered in darkness. You could hear people groaning in annoyance, or crying out in surprise. Unsure of what to do at that point, considering apparently you had just fried the electrical breaker for the entire floor, you were about to sit up when suddenly your phone began to ring.

“…Hello?”

“Don’t hello me, what did you do?” Seto’s voice was annoyed. His secretary must’ve just told him that you caused the entire floor to lose power.

“Well… I-uh… Fried the breaker through my mother board because it was shredded when I got back to the studio.” Openly admitting, considering as how you probably couldn’t hide anything from the CEO, you could hear Seto sigh on the other end.

“It was her wasn’t it.” He hit the nail right on the head, as usual. Humming in response, you could hear him sigh even deeper the second time.

“As long as you weren’t hurt. Stay away from the panel- I’ll send someone to get it fixed. In the meantime, I’d head to the orchestra house.” Seto sharply ordered, as you gave a small ‘Yes, sir’ in response. It caused him to pause for a moment, before you heard a small snicker. Seto hung up, and once again had to call his electrical contractors for the mess that you caused.

Though, it didn’t take you long to get to the orchestra house. Already, you were giving out the first piece you had finished for the new concert. Minu seemed ecstatic that you had finished it, and Marrer seemed extremely pleased that you were back, ready to go. Since they had never seen the piece before, the orchestra scattered to their respective rooms to begin pouring over the piece. You began to walk off the stage, thinking of the time that Seto had apparently watching you tear apart the first orchestra. It was strange, having a staff that respected you- everything being calm… Being Seto’s girlfriend. If you dare thought the term. Technically, you were just a ‘potential suitor’ but to be frank with yourself…

“You’re glowing, my lady.” Marrer spoke in English, as you had to remind yourself he was originally an American conductor. More importantly, the fact that apparently your happiness was showing on your face was more than enough to catch you off guard.

“Sorry. Just happy to be back.” Smiling, you took a seat at the Judges table within the orchestra house- and pulled out the second piece that you were putting finishing touches on. You had been planning at least ten new pieces for this concert, as a way to say Thank you for all the hard work they put into making the soundtrack at the last minute. But, as the same time- you couldn’t get off the thought of those soft lips upon yours, sweet and tasted like caramel… Sweet, and salty. How strong his hands felt, his body against yours…

“I can’t believe he tastes like caramel…” Murmuring to yourself, you couldn’t help but sigh and tap your pencil against the sheet music. Marrer laughed at you, watching you shoot up straight in embarrassment. You were obsessing again, obsessing over the fact that somehow- you managed to get a boyfriend. A multi-billion CEO boyfriend… You just couldn’t fathom how it happened.

“Who tastes like caramel, little lady?” Marrer teased, knowing full well who it was. Seto always had a thing for caramel, and Marrer had seen it time and time again as the CEO put caramel in his coffee. It was an odd request- considering most business men preferred their coffee black. To look intimidating is all.

“N-no one!” Stammering, you focused on your music and found that Marrer was staring at you with an amused look on his face. Hissing in frustration- he watched as your red face slammed on the judges table. Groaning in defeat. It was obvious now- you couldn’t focus on work. Because it was glaringly staring you in your face. Someone had finally moved your heart- and you didn’t know what to do about it.

“Go figure you’d be sleeping on the job.” A booming voice echoed in the orchestra house, as you shot up in your seat to see Seto standing in the doorway. There was a plastic bag in one hand and his briefcase in the other. Marrer took it as his que to leave- and you quietly sat there as Seto walked up the staircase on the side of the seats to reach the Judges Table.

Immediately, he sat down next to you- and put the plastic bag on the surface. Taking it gingerly, you peeked inside to see what it was that Seto had decided was for lunch. To your surprise, it was a Dragon Roll from the sushi shop that you could actually have. Gasping in awe, you opened up the box- and there it was. The delicious, finely cut, sushi roll smell graced your senses as you couldn’t help but groan in food satisfaction.

“Oh Seto- you’re so awesome.” You were about to dig in, before suddenly- Seto’s deck box was practically slammed in front of you… Oh no. There was a price for the sushi!!

“I know. But I want you to play with me. I saw that you had a deck box of your own. Did you finally decided to pursue in a good game for once?” Seto challenged, as you reluctantly fished out your tiny deck box from your purse as well. It wasn’t anything too fancy compared to his- but it certainly wasn’t the worst either.

“You’re horrible! You’re a no-good-two-faced-bit-con-artist!!” You hissed, reaching for the chop sticks, only to have them yanked from you. How dare he?! Keep you from your sushi like this?!

“I have my ways- but I’ll be damned if my girlfriend tries to sly the fact that she has a playable deck by me. Let’s start a round first- then you can eat your blasted sushi.” Seto challenged, looking at you with passion lit in his eyes. It threw you off guard, knowing that he could look at you that way. Now that he had a reason to. However…

“Y-you called me your girlfriend.”  
Seto frowned, a glare so dangerous it nearly made you falter. Squeaking, you pulled your deck and began to shuffle it- now that it had become basically a second movement thanks to Yugi. He let go of his glare and set the chopsticks on the table as he drew out his deck as well. Both of you shuffled in silence, but you couldn’t help but think of what Yugi had mentioned to you while dueling him a few times.

‘There are certain cards Seto tends to play when he gets extremely frustrated. Considering you’ve played his deck- you should be able to tell when or what is bothering him by how he lays his cards. It’s like him listening to you, when you play your violin.’

Setting your deck on the table, you drew five cards as he did flawlessly. You didn’t see it before- but his cards had finger indents on them. The cards were warped just a bit- in a way that wasn’t noticeable from a distance- but noticeable now that you practically sat across from him. He pulled out a coin- and gestured to you.

“Heads.” Answering flawlessly. It was to determine who went first. With Yugi, it was always tails that landed you the first turn- but Seto, you figured it be the other way.

You were right, the coin landed on heads- as the match began. Of course, as a first defense, you set one of your musical demons face down- and set down a trap field spell. As soon as it was Seto’s however- something seemed incredibly off. Immediately, he set down Battle Axe Ox. An aggressive card, that you learned was a godsend when it came to four star monsters.

He was upset by something. Work perhaps. It really depended on the card he played next.  
Of course it was a few face downs. He was upset by something, but didn’t want to openly admit it. Perhaps it was towards you- perhaps towards work. It was all you could do to ask-

“Is everything okay, Set?” As you put down another face down monster after you drew a card. It was another trap- another way to get your most powerful monster out onto the field- but you didn’t want to risk it quite this early… At least not till you had a couple other cards. Seto, on the other hand, was completely baffled by your simple question. Not only, were you a beginner- but even though he didn’t know what you deck held… Obviously, whatever Yugi had done- allowed you to read him as if he were an open book. As if the cards he lay were a testament to his true feelings…

Finally. Finally- someone understood.

You watched as he once again, placed another feral imp into attack mode- and went to hit one of your face downs. Springing the field spell trap- which gave any musical-based monster a bonus 300 DEF when in continuous play, Seto also took you by surprise when he countered it with another chain spell that duplicated it. But it did nothing but even out the attack- and send both monsters to the graveyard. It told you something very crucial.

Seto wasn’t quite thinking right either. That meant it had something to do with work- if he was on auto-pilot.

“Is it the interviews that are frustrating you?” Your field trap was still in play, but regardless- Seto attacked with his Ox anyways and it revealed one of your higher four stars that had a higher defense due to the spell… It sent the Ox to the graveyard in an instant. Taking that as a ‘yes’- considering that even Seto knew how to draw out cards from a face down with no problem. He really was- and was probably numb- on auto pilot from all the interviews that you promised you’d do with him. Probably after today- that’d probably be what you’d be doing from then on.

“How about we eat lunch- and then I can join you for the interviews?”

“…Fine.”

Putting away the cards, since the match wasn’t going very well for either one of you- you settled instead for scooting your chair closer to him and finally digging into the long awaited Dragon Roll. Kicking off your shoes, you naturally curled your toes around Seto’s boots- finding your comfy spot while the CEO was shuffling his deck, and glancing a bit at yours. Curious about what it was that you were fighting with.

You were eating peacefully with Seto when suddenly he began to laugh. Not the scoff, not the few huffs… The laugh you had heard in the snow that day. The laugh that meant so much to you- the one that sent butterflies in your stomach, the one that made your mind fill with nothing but happiness… The only feeling that Seto could do to you. Considering how the neutralistic composure he usually held regardless of the person he was around- it meant a lot to you personally… When he felt comfortable enough to laugh like that around you.

“I didn’t realize you actually managed to make a decent deck out those musical little shits.” He was still laughing- and you didn’t even care if it was about your deck. Well… You cared a little. But you were glad it made him feel a little bit more then indifferent about the situation around him.

“Hey now. They’re good enough to handle your deck somewhat.” Grumbling, you filled your mouth with sushi as Seto took a bite out of he teriyaki that for some reason- you managed to get Seto hooked on.

“Good enough. I suppose. I wouldn’t have put it past you though. That you’d some how managed to make a decent musician deck.” He once again snickered at you, before the alarm on his watch began to go off. Signaling the end of your ‘lunch’ and that no doubt Seto would have to return back to the interviews. However, as he stood to leave- grabbing his lunch with him- you stood as well. Slipping back on your shoes and followed behind Seto as the two of you began to walk back to the main building together.

“Go back. I’ll be fine.” He murmured, glancing at his smart phone. He was scrolling through it, as you could easily see it was more applications for the positions that just became… available.

“Absolutely not Mr. Grumpy-pants. Someone’s gotta help you sort through the madness of upstart pricks.” You pulled out your own phone- and texted Marrer that you’d be helping Seto with the interview since everyone was practicing the new piece. Also telling him to text you when the orchestra is getting back together so you could listen personally. You were pretty tired of listening to initial practices on the other side of the screen.

“Again… With the illogical nicknames.” Seto grumbled, opening the back way to the main building as you walked inside without even looking up at him. But you did tap his shoulder twice with your index and middle- making Seto look at you skeptically.

“Mr. Grumpy. Pants.” Teasing, you looked up at him with a gentle smile on your face- causing Seto to sigh in defeat as the two of you took his elevator back up to the office.

“…What am I going to do with you?” Seto murmured.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long job hours have ended! I will getting back to uploading pretty soon. Thank you for reading, and leaving comments! Always a joy to read.
> 
> -Zavier001


	18. Consideration

Immediately, however, you completely understood as to why Seto was so grumpy. Sitting there, at the office with each new file that the interviews gave to you- over half of them seemed so self-entitled. If not that, they weren’t confident enough, or out spoken. While their resumes may have painted the person as a ‘perfect picture’… The actual person… Not so much.

Seto was the one leading the interviews, asking questions regarding coding and business ideals. Morals within a company. What happened at their last job, why did they quit their last job, what they feel is their biggest fault. Of course, once and a while you would interject- asking their beliefs on music, how they feel about the lesser components regarding gaming. But right now, even this person was really… Really not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

“I seriously think you should hire me- I am one of the best candidates in the field. With the many PhDs’ that I have obtained through schooling- I will provide your team the most-“

“Thank you Mr. Swanson. That’ll be enough.” You ended up cutting him off, shooing him out the door before he could continue with his rant. Even Seto was slightly surprised at your gruffness and how quickly you got Isono in the room to escort the man out. It was at this point, you were baffled at how Seto could sit through all of these narcissistic ‘potential hires’ when none of them seemed to get their head out of their asses.

“That was quick. Even for you.” Seto pointed out, as you also shot him a fairly annoyed glare as you glanced back down on the list. Crossing off Mr. Swanson’s name, you dug through his deck drawers before pulling out the file for the next interviewee. He watched you with amusement as you shifted through the files, reading the background check first- then the summary. Seto wasn’t too surprised when you immediately threw the file in the trash.

“When did you become so presumptuous? You know that I did pick through all of the applications correct?” He asked, as you sighed before plucking the file back out of the recycle bin. It was quite entertaining to Seto, watching you abuse your power just in the slightest manner.

“When did you learn to pick out your interviewees? This guy coming up is going to be another numbing load of bull.” Grumbling, you took a deep breath and sat up straight. Seto was thoroughly entertained by watching you attempt to act like him when it came to business…

Oh how far you have come. Indeed.

The door slowly opened, after Seto had told his secretary to let the next person in, revealing a tall thin man who shyly came in. Why you didn’t like him, was truly a mystery to Seto. This man didn’t have anything important about him, no presence, no authority, absolutely nothing to be read besides being a completely normal person. But after coming to that conclusion, it only served to put Seto on edge a little. He didn’t like to first assume that anyone was ‘normal’. That, was a very bad sign.

“H-hello. Thank you for the chance to be interviewed. My name is Hanson Vivicano.” Hanson offered his hand, first to Seto who took gruffly. His hand shake was firm, at least. However, a twinge went through Seto when he watched Hanson take your hand and place a small kiss on the knuckle. It was a polite French gesture- and while it was obvious that it made you uncomfortable, it was something the two of you couldn’t deny.

“Pleasure to have you. My name is Seto Kaiba, and you are applying for the… musical coder position yes?” Seto leaned over to glance at the file in your hand, as you pointed it out. Hanson nodded, politely as his pale, choppy blonde hair bounced lightly on his head. To you, he seemed almost sickly- his pale green eyes darkened by the bags underneath the skin. It made his eyes look shrunken in. You were very uncomfortable by this.

“Yes sir.” He answered plainly.

“Tell me a bit about yourself.” You offered, considering that if Hanson was hired, he’d be under your team. Ah, the infamous question. It could either make or break a person in an interview. If someone couldn’t talk about themselves, it was obvious that they wouldn’t be able to pitch or sell them as a potential person to be hired. But- it was a double edged sword. If one were to talk too much about themselves, then the person hiring would see that the person was too full of themselves.

“Well.. I’m a huge fan of music and coding. I believe that with the right music, any game could be amazing. But however, without the right coding, the music couldn’t do the game justice. So there’s a fine line between being able to write music, and write coding. I feel that with this sort of look on the job, that we could work together to create even transitions and musical creations that can transpire that of the normal basis.” Of course, to you it was a very temping question, but it was the way he spoke. As if the job was already his, and that he would love to work with you.

That… You weren’t quite a fan of.

“Well, Mr. Vivicano- how would you hand the situation say… A bug were to show in these transitions during a game premiere?” Seto asked, as the two launched into coding talk and you were able to just watch him in general. Open throated, once comfortable enough to talk, Hanson seemed kind enough. Wasn’t too authoritative, wasn’t too shy. Neutral. Nonexistent… Glancing at his background check, you saw that nothing had come up. But, just as Saiku was- as Seto had told you this after the whole ordeal- nothing had come up for her either. No car records, no house records, or credit card records.

“Oh is that the Millennium Rod behind you, sir?” Pining back into the conversation, immediately Seto was slightly put off by this.

“Yes. Might I ask how you know of them?”

“Oh, well my friend Marik always spoke of them with high regard. At one point, I thought I saw him covet that very Rod behind you… I was just curious tis all.” Hanson couldn't help but openly speak of it. You had met Marik once, and didn’t know that he was very interested in the Rod. But, you could remember that the Egyptian had told Seto that the Rod was his birthright.

“You know Marik Ishtar? Seto asked, crossing his arms. You could tell- he was trying to close off the conversation now. This wasn’t something that people normally asked about.

“We’re good friends! I used to be part of the Rare Hunter group.” Hanson smiled, and immediately you saw Seto’s face grow pale. Okay- time to end the conversation. This was growing more awkward by the minute.

“Well alright! Thank you Mr. Vivicano for the interview, and we will call you if we would like to peruse any further.” Smiling, you stood- and it threw him off guard momentarily as Isono was next to Hanson within a second. Confused, he bowed politely as Isono practically shoved Hanson out the door.

Both of you sighed in relief, hearing the door click- and sitting on Seto’s lap for a bit of comfort, even the CEO allowed himself to wrap his arms around your waist.

“I think you should cancel the rest of the interviews and look at this Hanson guy again. That was straight up creepy.” You grumbled, and leaned your head on Seto’s shoulder who also nodded his head in agreement.

“I’ll let my secretary know. In the mean time, what would you like do?” He asked, and you thought about it for a little bit. What would you do now? The interviews were the last event scheduled for the day, and now that Seto had some free time… You had to answer quickly though, as Seto was looking at you with big curious blue eyes that would no doubt suck you in- if you stared to long that was. Unable to think of anything really important to do- Seto suddenly seemed to think of something for you.

“I actually do have a few errands to run, what type of laptop do you have?” The question was more of an order, as Seto made you stand up and he fixed his white suit before beginning to head for the elevator. On the way out, he told the polite lady at the desk that he’d be out for the rest of the day- and she glanced at you hiding nervously behind him before chuckling a few times to herself.

“Yes, sir. I will cancel the rest of interviews and reschedule them. Enjoy your date, sir.” Seto frowned at her, but didn’t give any sort of remark in return. But, that didn’t stop him from proceeding to drag you to the private elevator without looking back. You couldn’t help but feel a little giddy on the inside- at the thought of possibly going out on a ‘date’ with Seto.

But- you should’ve known better at this point.

The elevator ride was short, as it seemed that Seto had his personal car driven over to the garage- a black Aston Martin Valkyrie. While you didn’t know much about cars… You knew that this car in particular was worth 3 million. Minimum. Feeling as if you didn’t really belong in this beautiful piece of work- your feet subconsciously wiped themselves on the concrete before even sitting in the leather seat. Seto on the other hand, leisurely stepped in. Momentarily, it reminded yourself of how different that the two of you were- you’d be lucky if you had enough money to barely afford one of these cars.

You were lucky to barely afford your apartment complex.

The drive however, was smooth. Now that you really thought about it, this had been your first time ever riding with Seto. With him driving in particular. The radio was actually a Bluetooth connection with strangely American music reaching your ears. Panic at the Disco was currently playing, Girls/Girls/Boys. It was from his phone as well- but it really spoke a lot about him. About a certain side of Seto, that the world would probably never know, that Gozaboro probably never took the time to understand.

“So um… I actually don’t have a laptop.” You finally admitted, causing Seto to glance at you warily. Being in this type of business, he’d seen you use way more complicated technology. Especially watching you draft a piece with a sound board. It wasn’t that you didn’t know your way around technology, or computers- seeing as how you used one of his easily… The concept just didn’t sit well with him. Considering that you were now his Lead Musician.

“…It’s a good thing I’m heading to a tech shop for a few errands then. Mokuba broke a couple cameras, and I need to see how much it would be to afford those earbuds that you brought over from America.” Your earbud? The translator? You kept that thing in your ear all the time- but it still didn’t explain as to why Seto would be looking into it. His company was usually Japanese regardless, just because it was simply easier.

“Mokuba broke cameras? How? Plus, why the earbuds?” Unable to hold back your curiosity, Seto sighed- as if the call he received about it wasn’t exactly… The best. Considering that Mokuba seemed especially careful about his cameras- something really bad must’ve happened.

“He was doing an exhibition shoot in the Bahamas this morning, and a model threw one of his best cameras in the water because she was less then satisfied with his results. Which is fairly concerning about the model, seeing as how Mokuba’s won multiple awards for the best Motion and Standstill photography on different categories.” Seto explained, glancing upwards at street names before taking a right at some point. Your gaze settled for looking out the window and watching the busy city streets move by. However, you couldn’t help but hear the endearment that Seto held for his brother- even if Mokuba denied being the heir to Seto’s company.  
“You seem to know a lot about photography yourself. Same with music too.” Hearing Seto scoff at your statement, you couldn’t help but glance back at him. He was fairly amused by your statement.

“Who do you think taught him about it?” Seto stated, parking in front of a familiar looking shop. It seemed pretty close to the brand your smart phone was, and was very… Very expensive looking.

“You know how to take professional photography?” Sarcasm was laced in your voice, as Seto turned off the car. He gave you that confident smirk that he always did, and laughed at your so called ‘innocence’.

“I know seven different languages fluently, and have Masters in many- many things. I also know how to play three different instruments on a professional level, and how to run a multi-billion dollar company. If you manage to find something I don’t know, or already have gone to school for- I’ll give you my Stradivarius for free.” Seto challenged, as your jaw must’ve dropped. You knew that his education was extensive, but by Gods- you didn’t know it was that far.

“…How did I end up being your girlfriend again?” You couldn’t help but ask, as Seto flicked your head lightly.

“Because you have simple tastes.”

 

Inside the store, you couldn’t help but feel extremely out of place. Not only did you know nothing about computers, or anything of the sort- Seto was dragging you along and looking at computers that he would felt be good for both work and leisure. Considering that you probably didn’t even like the fact that he was buying you a computer in the first place- it was probably best to just start out simple. Maybe a couple programs for music design…

But what he didn’t notice, was the way you stared at him all the while. Awed by the sight before you, Seto was completely oblivious to the look of thought that had dawned on his face. You could tell, he was serious about buying you a computer- but he wasn’t going to buy the most expensive or complicated one either. Seto was thinking of your tastes, and considering what you might use the most. It warmed your heart to no bounds, as even though this wasn’t really a date- it was a very ‘Kaiba’ way of doing you good so that work might be slightly easier for you.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a tablet computer. Seto noticed that it had a ‘pen’ of some sorts. No doubt there’d be a blank music sheet program- and once it was updated with all the Kaiba Corp firewalls and anti-theft cyber systems… It might actually do you some good. Having both the capabilities of a laptop and a drawing pad, Seto took you by surprise when he called over a clerk and launched into a barrage of questions. Ranging from how the processor ran, to the capabilities of the pen.

Curious, you glanced at this tablet. Picking up the pen, and entering the basic sketch pad- you drew the five lines. A small little melody filled your head, as the two business men talked and you were writing music. Before you knew it, the entirety of the pad had been covered in the sweet little melody that you created. Complete with minors, flats, and sharps.

Glancing around you, your gaze met Seto’s who had been watching you this entire time- unknown to you. Taking a quick picture of the melody to copy onto sheet music for later and erased the tiny musical piece. Though, you didn’t realize it until that moment- that Seto already had a few bags in his hands. No doubt, the earbuds and the camera. Holding up one to you, and looking inside- you saw that it was a dark blue version of the tablet laptop that you were just writing on.

“…You did not.” Grumbling, you gingerly took the bag as Seto sighed at you.

“Some way to thank the man who just bought you a laptop.” Seto gestured you to follow him outside the store as he suddenly felt you bump into him kindly.

“Thank you Seto… For considering what might work best for me. But!! I’m not okay with you buying me something so damn expensive!!” Hissing towards the end, Seto opened up the trunk of his car and put his bags inside. Slipping yours inside as well, he closed it before opening the passenger door for you. Staring at him skeptically, you murmured a small ‘Thank you.’ Before sitting in the seat once more. He closed the door, before getting in the driver’s seat and turned around to head back to your apartment so that the two of you might set up your new laptop.

“Well. You might as well get used to it. I really can get you anything.” Seto pointed out lowly, which made you wonder how many times he’s told someone that. Then actually had them ‘get used to’ the concept of Seto being able to get anything in the world.

“I don’t think I should Seto. That’d be taking advantage of you- and I ain’t that type of person.” There it was, that Southern American drawl coming out in your Japanese. Though, it did warm Seto’s heart a little upon hearing that. Defiant, and kind- as always. Personally though, you felt as if today gave a little more knowledge about Seto to you. The experience was certainly eye opening, as Seto always did to you. Surprising, eye turning, confident…

“What’s with the traffic? I thought your street wasn’t ever this busy.” Glancing in front of you, you frowned- seeing the amount of cars that had stopped in the middle of the road. Seto was right, your street shouldn’t be this busy. But, it certainly did make a knot twist in your stomach when a fire truck came zooming by Seto’s car.

“…It shouldn’t be.”

It caused you to bolt out of your seat- ignoring Seto’s call and run down the street. Hoping to Gods, that it wasn’t what you thought it was. However, when you were getting closer to your apartment- you were hit with a crowd of people. Either staring, or gawking. Pushing through, you had to shove and move your way through the gathering of people.

As you reached the middle of the crowd- you saw that the entire row of apartment complexes had lit up in flames.

This also included… Your home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So begins the Second Arc. Things are gonna get pretty intense. But, enjoy the fluff that falls far and inbetween the chapters. Thank you for reading, and all the wonderful comments! I'm seeing a couple new readers, and enjoying the ones who had been here from the very beginning.
> 
> So thank you, for staying with me for so long. It really means a lot.
> 
> -Zavier001


	19. Owing Duets

The crowd murmured around you, as you watched the glowing embers take away everything that you had. Your music, your instruments… Your goldfish. Your poor, poor goldfish… However, your concerns grew worse seeing a black shadow burst into the building. Ignoring the calls from the firemen who were trying so very hard to put the fire out. It caused you to fall to your knees in disbelief, embers flying around you as wind bit your face once more. Suddenly, something burst out of the flames- bounding over to you with some sort of object in it’s hands.

“Hey. I… I managed to get this.” A familiar, forever grounding caramel voice murmured- placing a slightly blackened glass object in your hands. Blinking, almost in a daze, you looked down to see your sweet little goldfish with plastic wrap on its bowl. Swimming, as if nothing had happened. You could see the little bits of ash floating at the top. Looking up at the person who gave it to you, Seto was leaning down to make sure you were alright. But, he watched as your normally cheerful face contorted into one of pain- and Seto held you close as he always awkwardly had.

He held you close, as you watched through body raking tears as your life's work was burned to ashes.

The bitter cold wasn’t something that was welcome for once. Snow, turned to ash, fell in slow little pitters around you. Cold, numb, empty… It was certainly something that you weren’t unfamiliar with. You had felt this pain, once before. However, as always, something was different this time around. Seto had held you close, weirdly rubbing your shoulder every time you thought you were done crying but the pain returned once more.

But it was him, who urged you to stand with wobbly legs. You barely held onto your tiny little fish bowl- now the only remnant of your life. Oh your poor, poor goldfish. Barely feeling his thumb wipe away a few of the ashes that had fallen on your face, you looked up as Seto’s heart nearly sunk. Lifeless, cold, familiar looking eyes stared back at him.

It was almost as if looking in a mirror.

“It’ll be ok-“

“Don’t. Even.” Even your normally warming voice was cold as the CEO should’ve known that ‘It’s going to be okay’ was probably the worst catchy phrase that could be offered in condolences. Seto watched as you quietly put your fish bowl at his feet, as even Seto knew that though your voice and actions be cold… You were impeccably happy that the black fish had lived through the whole ordeal. Though, he could feel the dull pain from both the shot, and the pillar that had landed on the back of his shoulder while jumping into the fire to save the fish while he could.

You lumbered over to the now cleared fire site- wandering through the blackened door way. Picking up the fish bowl, Seto quietly followed you as your shaky fingers traced the walls you had been living in for years. The smell of smoke, and burnt metal filled your senses as the still warm walls felt almost alive under your finger tips… Even the trombone case, didn’t make it. A now melted pile of plastic and brass, it crunched under your shoes. By Gods, what you would give- just to make it trip you again.

Of course, none of the furniture would be salvageable. The stairs were barely safe enough to walk on. But, Seto quietly held out his hand in offering, when you managed to start going through the ashes and pulling out burnt sheet music for him to take. A few, barely able to make out the pencil that had once been on them. Some were full sheets, others were just bare pieces. A scorched bow, a cracked light blue mug. Nothing, whole however. All the while, he watched you in agony. Clutching your right hand, in familiar pain- of losing something so dear to you.

Seto managed to corral you into his car once more, holding your goldfish as you numbly stared out the window and heard him put the remainder of your belongings in the trunk of his car.

It didn’t take long, to reach the mansion. The ride was silent, as Seto couldn’t think of anything to say to you. There wasn’t anything he could’ve said, that someone would’ve already told you before. But, at least he could open the door for you, help you walk out as you looked up indifferently at the mansion before you. Goldfish held tightly in your arms, Jin watched as you lumbered through the doorway. Not offering a greeting, of any sort. But welcomed, as he guided you to the guest room- that would now become yours.

Leaning against the doorway, watching at Jin offered to take the goldfish from you but was sharply declined. You just spoke as little possible, and the butler took it happily- knowing that this was a cause of this misfortune, and that you really didn’t mean to speak to him in such harsh terms. Seto couldn’t help but think- eventually yes, he did want you to move into the mansion where it might be safer… But not like this. He knew, of all people, what that type of loss would turn this place into.

A place, that would seem so unfamiliar- and you would desperately wish that you were home again.

Feeling a little more drained then usual, Seto sighed before walking into his own home and shrugging his jacket off. Another butler was there to shut the door behind him, and take his coat as Seto peeled out the contacts from his eyes. The same butler holding out the capsules for him to put them in, as he quietly trended up the stairs. Stopping before your guest room, Seto could hear you sniffing and crying to yourself. Cursing yourself, for your insolence, your immatureness, your idiocy. Was it your fault, the place burned down? Did you finally leave that coffee maker running, or the fire place on?

It wasn’t your fault. Seto mentally offered, but of course, as usual… His thoughts, never reached your ears.

He quietly shut the door, knowing that it would make you jump. Seto would offer, to be by your side- but judging by what Mokuba had told him…He really didn’t want to be yelled at, to leave his own room. Saving it for tomorrow, Seto opened the door to his own room- aware of the light footsteps he heard behind him. Figuring it was some sort of butler waiting on an order, Seto took off his shirt- tossing it to the floor as he shrugged off the tight jeans and pulled out a pair of black sweats. Putting them on, Seto flipped off the light switch.

Climbing into bed, Seto turned his back against the door. Watching the snow fall from his balcony window- and heard a small squeak from the hinges. Small footsteps filled the room, as a small tap came from the sound of glass being put on his bed stand. The smell of smoke filled his nose, as Seto not dare turn around to see who it was behind him… Even though, Seto was fully aware, that it was you. Looking for silent company, but not to be held.

He felt, as you climbed underneath the covers, and snuggled up against his back- your warm breath sending shivers up his bare spine. But that didn’t stop him, from staying still and letting you have what little comfort you would allow yourself in that moment.

“…Thank you…”

  
Unknown, of how long you slept that night, you woke to light barely peeking through the covers of an unfamiliar bed. It caused your breath to hitch, remembering the events of the night before. You wanted to cry, but there was nothing left. Taking a deep breath, you sat up- painfully aware of how sore your right hand was. Glancing to where you left your fish bowl, the little black fan tail was still swimming happily- even after you had taken the plastic wrap off.

No doubt, you’d now have to replace everything you lost. Clothing, instruments, and whatnot. Perhaps, it was a good thing that Seto had bought you that tablet… At least- if you were to write music, it wouldn’t burst into flames upon impact… But- it would still be good to have a physical copy. In which, it might be good, to have someone who could write music in the way you could- in order to transfer it all electronically.

“You can just scan everything into the system and it will automatically read everything.” Caramel. It soothed your weary soul, as no voice could ever do in your entire lifetime. Seto was walking towards you, with a cup full of coffee. There were bags under his eyes, as it occurred to you that Seto didn’t sleep last night. All you could really remember was crawling into his bed like a child, and falling asleep with his muscular back facing you in the darkness.

“Always knowing what I’m thinking…” Sighing, you took the cup of coffee from Seto’s hands. They were stiff, you noticed. He was typing, all last night… Probably looking for the cause to the fire. But judging by the tired look that you rarely saw on his face- Seto wasn’t any closer then when he had started.

“It was obvious. You were staring at your tablet for the past few minutes.” Gesturing to the bag on the table that somehow your eyes had drift to, you sighed. Of course, nothing would get past Seto. Typical.

“Okay.” Came your simple reply. There wasn’t much energy, to banter back. Though you wanted to, it just wasn’t there. Seto moved carefully to sit next to you on the bed, watching as you took savoring sips of the coffee. His fingertips traced small lines around your right hand, as if he was trying to feel what a broken hand might be. But it was a sweet gesture… Seto meant something much different by it, as you could feel the unnatural warmth from his normally cold hand. Your thumb met his, as both of your hands interlocked together.

“You don’t have to rush. I will finish the interviews, and you come back to work when you’re ready. In the mean time… Why don’t you set up a studio, here- in the east wing?” He offered, as the thought of a perfect studio here would be too good to be true… But judging from Seto’s home office- it wasn’t something you could turn down. This was your home now… Might as well make the best of it.

“Alright… Set?” You asked, looking up at him- with wavering eyes. Seto met yours, with one of conviction and comfort. It gave you clarity, strength… Something Victor would have never given you. Nothing as if what Seto was giving you in this situation, and what he offered in his olive branch that required a partner to tango with him. Seto gave a small hum in response to you.

“Thank you… For everything. I just… I don’t know how I would be able to pay you back.”

“You can pay me back, by staying by my side. At your fullest potential.” He ordered, with no room for debate. It caused you to give a small smile in the meantime, as Seto watched some of your passion return to your eyes. There wasn’t much, but it was a start. A chance to restart, and finally- Seto would be the one to give that to you. The chance to rebuild with the potential to create anything that came from your endless tap of melodies.

“You’re too kind to me Seto… I missed it when you were so mean, and grumpy.” Ah… There it was. Jokes. Insulting, sarcasm laced jokes. While it was weak, and the normal fire wasn’t there, Seto would take it any day, then to see the mirror reflected back at him with what he saw in your eyes last night.

“If I were mean, I would set you up in the employee dorms instead.” Seto grumbled, as he stood and pulled out a towel and some sweats from the closet. Somehow, he also produced a set of basic women’s underwear from beneath the towel as well. Obviously, one of his maids had given it to him. Rummaging around in his drawers, Seto found the chibi Blue Eyes shirt that you had taken a particular liking to, and set it with the clothes.

“When you’re ready, you smell of smoke. Take a shower. I need to clean my sheets because of you now.” Seto commanded, before leaving the room to your thoughts alone. Now, there really wasn’t much room for debate. Seto was expecting things out of you, as he always have, but for some reason- they were helping you rapidly build up your moral rather than let you mope in the way Mokuba couldn't figure out as to how to help you in that regards… Perhaps, it was due to the fact that he probably had been stuck in the same situation you had been in before- many times.

‘There’s nothing left. You can’t play anymore. Not as the Lioness.’ Words, old words, echoed within your mind. Lingering, cursing yourself almost as you remembered the ember flames that took everything that you build after the accident. To rebuild your life again… Would you be able to do that? Six years, worth of music and memories… A kiss, that would forever last a life time to you. Would… Would you be able, to move on from that?

Move on, with Seto Kaiba… The multibillion CEO, stubborn and grumpy when the cogs didn’t turn the way he wanted. Passionate about a kids game, passionate about music. Enjoys modern day American alternative and has a sweet tooth for caramel in everything possible. And… Just maybe- he cares about you a little more then you thought he did.

So, you sat there in Seto’s bed. Watching the snow fall through the balcony window. Pondering life, for just a little while.

  
Seto was working in his office, when Jin knocked three times in his normal greeting. Bringing in his contacts, a cup of coffee, and a stack of papers of contracts most likely needed to be signed. Rubbing his eyes in frustration, Seto still hated the fact that he wore glasses in front of you- more or so had to- on his birthday. You had even proceeded to tell him sometime later, that he looked positively dashing in them. That the public should know that the Great Seto Kaiba was in fact human too.

“You’re glowing again, sir.” Jin pointed out, a small smile playing his face as Seto hissed in response, taking the stack of important documents and setting them down on his desk somewhere to be dealt with later.

“I do not glow Jin.” Grumbling, Seto took off his glasses and opened his eye to stick the contact lens in. Hearing Jin nod in agreement as he always did, it didn’t stop Seto from assuming that Jin wasn’t too convinced. Never, had his master held someone so dear, and so close to his heart before. It was enlightening, and relieving at the same time.

“Then, what might you call this aura that surrounds you today… Sir?” Jin added last moment. While of course, no normal butler would be able to speak to Seto this way- Jin had just been through with Seto too much of his life to just abandon him now. The things that have happened and the things Jin had seen Seto endure were far to great then to outweigh the need for a better job… Besides- Seto paid Jin fairly well.

“…Worry, and concern.”

“For the mistress, and her mentality I assume? If so, then don’t you think that’s a little too close to ‘love’ by this point? I do fear for the independence of our dear Master.” Jin jabbed, knowing full well what his little lecture meant at this point. Seto, as annoyingly as he’d allow to admit, could find no words to respond to his long term friend. It actually caused Seto to sit back, and blankly stare past his deck. To the door, and where you lay past it in his house. Jin took this as his cue to leave, bowing politely once, and left the coffee on the sticky note. As he always had.

What did it mean, for Seto at this point? He’d been this close to… One other person- before you. She had left, for studies in the United States. Ironically. Of all things…

What were you… To him, now?

Stubborn. Defiant. Foolish. So incredibly foolish… Loyal. Grounded. Selfless, caring, soothing. Calming. Simple… Is that what you were in his eyes? By now, for everything that had happened, Seto knew that simple words like such couldn’t describe someone such as you. It reminded him of the feelings that Seto was graced with, when your lips touched his. Fleeting, sweet, the smell of books and lavender… A sense of bliss. A momentary sense of bliss, where Seto forgot just for a second that he was the most powerful man on the planet. For a moment, in that kiss, Seto had forgot that he was a billionaire, that he was an older brother, that he had a company to obnoxiously run… For that moment, Seto was nothing but a man in front of you. A man, with a desire to covet what was his, and never… Never let it go.

You were his. Of course, they were words that Seto would never speak. Asking for things was something that he just didn’t… Do. Having to work and take everything he had earned with no time to ask for trivial things such a love- Seto knew that asking for you to stay… The mild thought of rejection- brought out a small fear that Seto had lived with all his life. That you too- had lived with all your life as well… The fear of abandonment, the fear of rejection, and the fear of false love. But by whatever Gods blessed him with this moment, Seto did not want to let it go.

These momentary, fleeting moments… Seto found the simplicity of everything that you gave him- something to be desired. With that conviction, Seto stood from his desk- as his heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.

  
You had just entered the shower, when it dawned on you something fairly important… What was Seto to you? The hot water cascaded down your shoulders, as you looked at your hand. Familiar veins appeared agitated, as your muscles contorted in response to the natural relaxant. The warmth, was familiar to the almost heart pounding feeling that you experienced the first time you had slept in Seto’s bed. A simple heat packet, provided from the person you had least expected… Seto was caring, in his own ‘Kaiba’ way. No doubt, there would be no words of love. No gifts to show adoration. But- as you stood there in the shower, you couldn’t help but ponder… Was that something you really needed? He was never straight forward about his feelings towards you, as you were now sure that they were a existent, prominent emotion that dictated how Seto would react.

By Gods… He took a bullet for you.

That morning, when your mind was scattered and torn, Seto knew exactly how to help you cope with it. Idiotic, when it came to human emotion but brilliant when it came down to mental games. However, that didn’t stop the feeling of admiration and endearment cause your chest to heave with butterflies… When was the last time a man made you feel this way? Next thing you knew, there was a smile on your face at the thought of Seto. Confirming exactly, what you had been trying to avoid for so long.

Walking out of the shower, and wringing out your hair, you changed into the clothes Seto provided for you. Taking the time to smell the shirt, sighing at the cologne that no doubt Seto used everyday. You were glowing, and you could feel it. Through, it was slightly concerning, as in the back of your mind- a voice nagged about how you didn’t really deserve to feel that way. Considering that your house just burnt down, all your life’s work was destroyed… It caused the natural smile to fade.

Opening the door, you weren’t expecting to run into someone. Blinking in confusion, you glanced upwards to be met with a pair of familiar blue orbs. Frowning, you wondered as to why Seto was standing in front of his own bathroom.

“Took you long enough.” Short, sweet. But it was just enough to tell you internally- that Seto truly meant well. Concern.

“I like long showers. It’s better then smelling like smoke. That you so kindly pointed out.” Grumbling, it sounded a bit harsher then you wanted it to. Seto could tell though… You were happy, that he was there. His company was more then welcome.

“You do smell better. Come- breakfast is ready.” He didn’t even give you a choice, as you suddenly found your hand grasped tightly and was being dragged promptly downstairs. It was certainly out of the ordinary, for this Kaiba. Mokuba- you probably wouldn’t put it past him to be slightly… Fruity. But nonetheless, you couldn’t help but notice that Seto was acting slightly strange this morning. Perhaps, work was getting to him again? You couldn’t tell for once, and it was highly concerning to you internally.

“S-Seto? You alright?” Unable to hold back your concern, your question was ignored as Seto dragged you down to the kitchen where there was two plates of breakfast foods made from the maids as he handed you one. But, that was all the interaction that he gave you- before taking a seat in his normal stool at the island. It was at that moment- that you finally realized what it was that was weighing on his mind… But was it something that you were willing to say to him? If you did, it meant no turning back- as if did decide to leave in the future… Your life would be significantly harder.

Taking a silent seat next to him, you sighed- not even needing to look at Seto to know that he was tense. Unknowingly unable to handle the emotions that he didn’t know how to convey.

Words- that he would never know, or willingly speak. But, Seto need not ask, as after all this time spending together… You didn’t need cards to read what he was trying to tell you. You didn’t need violins, or music, or pieces of paper and fleeting phone calls to explain what he was trying to ask you. There was nothing, that could be hidden from you anymore… Seeing as it was as easy as reading yourself. Past the walls. Past the fear. Past everything the both of you had endured to reach this very moment.

There were no longer any duets that you or he owed, to read what the other was trying to convey.

  
“Set… I’ll stay with you, forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there will be a second book! But, I feel this is a good stopping point- and yes I am aware there are still many questions that need answering. Hence, I feel the need for the second book. So keep an eye out- and thank you everyone for the support, and the journey of writing this book with me. 
> 
> Being my first reader- ever- I'm glad this turned out the way it did. I was always reading something that had name inserts, and for some reason it was always so awkward. So finally being able to write in a way that doesn't require that makes it so much easier. I would like to thank every reader that left comments, and every time it was a pleasure to read.
> 
> But thank you the most, for taking the time to read this simple book and taking time out of your day to do so. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
> 
> Look for book 2 of the Musical Journey series!
> 
> -Zavier001


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